Exercise and Fitness Archive

A 2025 study suggested that a structured exercise plan can significantly reduce the risk of falls among older women who take multiple medications.

Wooziness is often just a passing episode of lightheadedness. But it might signal something very serious, such as a stroke or heart attack. When wooziness occurs, one should sit or lie down for a few minutes, rest, and have a drink of water or juice. If wooziness eases, it's best to report the episode to your doctor. If lightheadedness hasn't improved or if it's accompanied by other symptoms, such as chest pain, trouble speaking, or weakness or numbness on one side of the body, call 911 immediately.

National guidelines recommend at least two sessions of muscle-strengthening resistance training each week. Resistance training, also known as strength training, consists of upper- and lower-body exercises using free weights, weight machines, resistance bands, or one's own body weight. Resistance training offers an array of benefits, including increased muscle strength, improved heart health, stronger bones, better mobility, and greater brain function.

To optimize cardiovascular health, the best strategy may be a workout that combines three types of exercise: moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise, and strength training. Moderate activity burns calories and boosts metabolism, which helps control weight. Moderate-to-vigorous exercise also helps dampen the body's "fight or flight" response, which plays a role in chronic stress and anxiety. Aerobic exercise in general also helps the heart to become more efficient and blood vessels to become more flexible. Strength training makes the body more efficient at burning fat for energy and helps improve insulin sensitivity.

Walking is one of the best ways for older adults to get the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week. But to ensure people get the most from their walking workouts, they need to focus on intensity. One way to do this is with target heart rate. A typical target heart rate for moderate-intensity exercise is between 65% and 75% of a person's calculated maximum heart rate. Improving walking form and doing interval workouts can help increase speed and thus intensity.

Spending time alone with energetic young grandchildren can be physically challenging. It puts grandparents at risk for falls and injuries. It will benefit grandparents to improve their balance and do some muscle strengthening so they can lift or carry squirmy children and also get up and down from a chair or the floor while playing with kids. If children run off while in a grandparent's care, the grandparent should be wary of obstacles in the path to catch up to them, such as footstools or toys indoors and uneven terrain outdoors.

Monitoring daily step count can encourage people to be more active. When it comes to assessing fitness or risk for major illnesses, though, is a new measurement that combines both average steps and heart rate better?

In a 2024 study, researchers found that the short-term brain boosts people receive after doing moderate to vigorous exercise can last 24 hours.