Exercise

The history of the treadmill reveals that it was basically a torture device

The treadmill is a time stopping torture machine that was made to remind us all of how we’ll never be in as good a shape as we want to be and how we’ll never be even half way good at estimating how many minutes have passed. And it’s okay because treadmills were basically made to…

Want To Avoid Erectile Dysfunction? Try Getting Regular Exercise

A number of studies have suggested that physically active men have lower rates of erectile dysfunction than couch potatoes, but all of them relied on people being honest about the amount they exercised. A new study published by the Journal of Sexual Medicine checked those results by measuring how much their subjects actually moved. As…

This is What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Exercising

It takes a lot of hard work to stay in shape, which is why it’s important to exercise on a regular basis. But it’s not always possible to remain active, and sometimes a few days off can turn into a more… extended hiatus. Here’s what happens to your body when you suddenly stop exercising. Measuring…

This LED Bike Helmet Gives You Working Brake Lights and Turn Signals 

When you ride a bike at night, staying visible is essential—and this illuminated helmet not only adds lumens to your ride, but gives you some added functionality compared to your average clip-on lights. It’s called Lumos. It’s a bike helmet that packs in more than 60 LEDs, which are bigger, higher, and brighter than traditional…

The Science of the Dad Bod

Does a woman’s pregnancy affect the weight of her partner? And is weight gain sustained while the kids grow up? Anecdotally, many people would undoubtedly say yes from their own experiences. Lack of sleep, less time for exercise, and having a cheeky bite of junk food with the kids all add up in a serious…

Not one, not two, but four pelvic floor exercise devices are hitting the market to encourage women to do their Kegels. Rose Eleveth talks to their creators about their mission to help strengthen hidden (but important) muscles and asks whether the process really needs to be gamified. Check out the article at Refinery 29! Contact…

​The Best Fitness Tracker for Every Need

Like many of you, I work in front of a computer. They’re powerful devices, but they also suck your will to live and trick you into never, ever getting up and going outside. Reasons like that are why fitness trackers were invented. Over the last few years as Giz’s primary writer for Fitmodo, I’ve had…

Does Talking Count as Exercise? Even a Little Bit? Asking for a Friend.

I’d classify this question as so dumb it’s actually kind of interesting, in a hair-splitting, pedantic sort of way. At Popular Science, Daniel Engber takes a stab at answering it: For a study published in 1998, speech-language pathologist Bridget Russell, of the State University of New York at Fredonia, asked participants to read aloud using…

How Aging Affects Athletic Peformance

“I’m old” is the common refrain for why we get worse at athletics as we age. But here’s what’s really happening in the body through the years to make world-class performance less possible. Above: At 42, Chris Horner became the oldest person to a win a cycling Grand Tour. In this photo Horner climbs during…

Popular Exercises To Avoid At All Costs—Unless You Do Them Right

Many popular exercises are performed incorrectly, often by people who probably shouldn’t be attempting them in the first place. This can result in injuries and futility at the gym. We talked to the experts to find out which exercises are the most problematic, and how to do them correctly. Illustration by Tara Jacoby When it…

This Treadmill Test Can Predict Your Odds Of Surviving Another Decade

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have devised a simple treadmill test and formula to calculate your odds of surviving the next ten years, and it goes like this: FIT Treadmill Score = %MPHR + 12 (METS) – 4 (age) + 43 (if female). Here’s how it works and what it means to your health. “The…

This Smart LED Jump Rope Flashes Stats in Front of Your Face

As any boxer will tell you, jumping rope is one of the most efficient cardio workouts, one that hasn’t changed much since it was invented. Until now. Enter the Smart Rope. It sounds a little silly at first, but let me explain. The LED-laced, sensor-laden jump rope puts a twist on fitness-tracking. Like a wearable,…

Health Benefits Of Diet And Exercise May Be Chemically/Lazily Obtainable

Everybody knows the human immune system will respond enthusiastically to exercise and healthy eating. But is there a way to get those benefits, which include enhancing our bodies’ abilities to suppress certain kinds of inflammation, without, y’know, sweating or starving? Maybe. Hopefully. New Scientist reports: Exercising hard or not eating for a while can alter…

What Happens To Your Body When You Drink Too Much Water?

The question How much water do I need to drink? is often followed with the related question Can I drink too much of it? We’re here to tell you that, while difficult to do accidentally, it is in fact possible to drink too much water – and the repercussions can be deadly. Photo Credit: Lora…

How A Daily 20-Minute Walk Could Save Your Life

We know that exercise is important to our health, but a recent study of 334,161 European men and women shows that as little as 20 minutes of brisk walking a day could prevent us from dying prematurely. What this new Cambridge University study is essentially saying is that inactivity is bad. Real bad. And that…

Don’t Walk, Run To Keep Your Legs Young

More evidence that running is good for you. New findings out of the University of Colorado’s Locomotion Laboratory show that runners in their 60s and 70s are more efficient walkers than seniors who walk regularly for exercise. Top Photo: Warein | CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Walking ability tends to decline with age. To test whether walking…

How Long It Takes to Burn Off a Thanksgiving Dinner 10 Different Ways

For once, let’s not lie to ourselves about how we’re going to “take it easy” this Thanksgiving. Most of us are going to give thanks by indulging like gluttonous pigs. It’s okay, we can give ourselves a pass every now and then, but let’s be real: if we don’t want to have more chins on…

What Exercise Does For Your Big Dumb Brain

Exercise is good for you, duh. Perhaps less obvious is all the ways physical exercise is also good for your brain—how it improves memory, creativity, mood, and more. So even if you aren’t looking to brag about marathon times or show off the body of a Greek god, you still have plenty of reasons to…

Runtastic Orbit Hands-On: A Fitness Tracker With a Few New Tricks

Since it seems like every company and its mother-company has a fitness tracker these days, it’s refreshing when we see one that actually brings something unique to the table. Runtastic (the company behind my current favorite running app) has a new tracker called the Orbit. It’s different! Like some other trackers, the Orbit is basically…

Running for as little as five minutes a day could add years to your life. And it doesn’t matter how fast you run. After studying 55,137 adults between the ages of 18 and 100, it was discovered that runners had a 30% lower risk of death from all causes and a 45% lower risk of…