Hot off the Press
Exercise or Make Dinner? Adults Trade One Healthy Act for Another
American adults who prepare their own meals and exercise on the same day are likely spending more time on one of those activities at the expense of the other, a new study suggests.
The research showed that a 10-minute increase in food preparation time was associated with a lower probability of exercising for 10 more minutes -- for both men and women. The finding applied to single and married adults as well as parents and those who have no children.
Researchers analyzed nationally available data on more than 112,000 American adults who had reported their activities for the previous 24 hours. Of those, 16 percent of men and 12 percent of women reported that they had exercised on the previous day. And men spent, on average, almost 17 minutes preparing food, compared to an average of 44 minutes for women.
[read more]The Economic Costs of Not Doing Exercise
Physical inactivity is costing the country a fortune, according to a new joint local government study using an approach called full cost accounting (FCA).
The study shows that physical inactivity in the Auckland, Waikato, and Wellington regions costs $648 million a year. Since about half the country’s population live in the three surveyed regions, this equates to an estimated cost of about $1.3 billion in 2010 for the whole country, or 0.7% of total GDP.
[read more]Perceived Barriers, Benefits and Motives for Physical Activity
Monday, January 28, 2013This NZ Association of Gerontology study examined whether perceived barriers, benefits, and motives for physical activity differed based on allocation to 2 different types of primary-care activity prescription programs (pedometer-based vs. time-based Green Prescription). Eighty participants from the Healthy Steps study completed a questionnaire that assessed their perceived barriers, benefits, and motives for physical activity.
[read more]Workshops and Seminars from EXULT
EXULT facilitate a number of workshops for community groups covering topics such as:
- fundraising
- sponsorship
- marketing, and
- volunteer related topics.
For those organisations who feel a little 'stuck', we also run a great session on problem solving and thinking outside the square! It will change the way your organisation runs.
[read more]The Cape and Goggle Award
The Cape and Google is awarded monthly by Catch Fitness to an activity provider or someone that supports providers.
[read more]Quantifying the Economic Benefit of Increasing Physical Activity
Inactivity has significant costs to the Health System. This report looks at the economic benefit of such things as cycleways and walkways.
[read more]Too much sitting is bad for health
A new study led by the University of Leicester, in association with colleagues at Loughborough University, including Stuart Biddle, has discovered that sitting for long periods increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease and death.
[read more]What if you could get fit in half the time?
A University of Canterbury study has found that high intensity interval training could provide a time-saving alternative to traditional slower endurance exercise.
"The importance of physical activity for health cannot be underestimated. The links between physical inactivity and increased risk of developing non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease are significant," said Dr Draper (Sciences and Physical Education).
"Being physically active has long been associated with improved fitness and health. Yet ironically, as our working lives place decreased physical demands on our bodies we also tend to be less physically active in our leisure time. A lack of time is the most common reason for our more physically inactive leisure pursuits."
[read more]Do active video games increase physical activity?
Active video games have been on the market for some time now, but how useful are they as a tool to increase physical activity, reduce sedentary behaviour and aid rehabilitation?
The British Heart Foundation National Centre (BHFNC) recently summarised what is known about active video gaming (known as exergaming) from both laboratory and ‘real life’ research.
[read more]Get out of your chair - Just Stand
Just Stand is a new website designed to encourage people to reduce the amount of time they spend sitting. The site includes research, tools and some very entertaining videos designed to inspire people to reduce their sedentary behaviour.
[read more]How To Order Free Health Resources from the Community Health Information Centre
The Community Health Information Centre at Community and Public Health (Christchurch) no longer has a physical shop that you can visit.
Resources are still available to order via other channels (phone, fax and email).
[read more]Exercise lowers Alzheimer's risk even if you start late
Doing exercise every day can considerably reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, even if you start becoming physically active after 80 years of age, researchers from Rush University Medical Center reported in the journal Neurology.
The researchers added that increased physical activity may include becoming involved in daily chores, such as housework. "The results of our study indicate that all physical activities including exercise as well as other activities such as cooking, washing the dishes, and cleaning are associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease".
[read more]The Love NZ Challenge is here
This year, why not have a go at travelling the length of New Zealand, under your own steam in the The Love NZ Challenge.
The Love NZ Challenge starts April 16th 2012 and celebrates the Te Araroa trail which officially opened in December 2011 and stretches some 3000km from Cape Reinga to Bluff.
[read more]Even 15 minutes Makes a Difference
Research undertaken by Germany's society of Nuerologists and the Stroke Society showed that 15 minutes of exercise a day made a surprising contribution to improving overall health. The study in Taiwan had over 400,000 participants whose health status was checked regularly over 8 years.
[read more]Translating the evidence: What works for physical activity
The British Heart Foundation 11th annual conference brought together the latest evidence on the most effective approaches to promoting physical activity across the life course and explored how to use this information to develop evidence based physical activity interventions and funding applications.
[read more]Physical Activity and Depression
A study from a team of researchers, using a large population, found depression to be related to increasing moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity and decreasing sedentary time among overweight and obese adults.
[read more]Television could be shortening your life
Recent research from the Australian Diabetes Obesity and Lifestyle study have shown that for every hour an adult spends sitting in front of the television they could be shortening their life span by 22 minutes.
[read more]Slothful in Youth = Slothful in Adulthood?
Recent research has provided good-quality evidence that sedentary behaviour in childhood does indeed "track" at moderate levels to those individuals being sedentary in adulthood.
[read more]