Words: Drs Luis Alberto MARCO-CONTRERAS & Antonio Cartón LLORENTE Muscular physiques have always been popular, but in the last decade, or so, people around the world have become increasingly conscious of their body image, largely due to social media like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. This fixation on bodily aesthetics has taken an especially strong hold
Words: Emma CHARLTON Exercise helps protect your brain against ageing, according to a new study that adds to the multiple reasons to stay active. While it’s long been known that exercise is good for our general well-being and health, this new data shows how physical activity can alter the brain chemistry that maintains synapses — the junctions
Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR The concept is as old as the hills. But, it’s also something that is new. As Jerry Lynch, a sports psychologist, and Chungliang Al Huang, a ta’i-chi master and expert calligrapher, explain in their ‘back-to-the-future’ standard for sporting excellence, Working Out, Working Within, which is, in essence, a premise on how
Words: Emma Mason ZWIEBLER The average person spends about a third of their life at work. With the rise of technology and automation reducing the physical demands of many jobs, a significant proportion of the workforce spends their day sitting at a desk leading to increasingly sedentary lifestyles. As a former professional athlete, I’ve experienced
Words: Kerry DULIN There is an old axiom in bodybuilding that says that ‘strength equals size.’ In other words, as your strength increases there will be a corresponding increase in size as well. On the surface this makes perfect sense. If you can lift more weight, or perform, a greater number of repetitions then you
Words: Sean FLEMING There’s a new must-have accessory every avid runner needs. It’s not the latest wearable tech. It’s not a pair of amazingly supportive running shoes. No, it’s the humble refuse bag. You could choose any colour you like, but as this is an idea that originated in Sweden, you might want to opt
Words: Minal POTNIS Face yoga is garnering a growing fan-following the world over today. No painful pricks to remove wrinkles, or applying a range of products to reducing dark circles. All of this can be achieved with just a few simple exercises. The unique holistic programme is based on the principle of dynamic muscle resistance,
Words: Kate WHITING Exercise is proven to keep us fit and healthy as we age — reducing our risk of dementia and boosting our immune systems. But more than half of us feel they’re not playing enough sport, according to a new global survey of exercise trends. IPSOS asked more than 21,000 adults from 29
Words: Prof Robert NEWTON You’re not in your 20s, or 30s, anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. They might also check your weight. Looking concerned, they recommend some lifestyle changes. GPs and health professionals commonly measure waist circumference as a vital
Words: Ruqayyah MOYNIHAN It’s clear exercise has health benefits both physical and mental — but what if we could actually prove it was more important to your mental health than your economic status? According to a study carried out by researchers at Yale and Oxford, we may have done just that. In the study, published
