A research report released this week shows some interesting and powerful brain connections that are absolutely great news. The study was focused on simple forms of brain stimulation and brain exercises as well as their link to math skills and the results from the study were quite profound.

The researchers at the heart of the study claim that with just a week’s worth of brain stimulating exercises a patient was very likely to see an increase in cognitive and brain function improvements as long as 6 months from the time of exercise. This is a very big deal because researchers have always known that increased brain activity lead to increased brain ability, but now they know that the effects can actually last for a very long time as well.

Doctors are hopeful that this could likely be used in the future to help develop better education practices as well as improved mental health treatment. Many researchers are also hopeful that this will eventually be applied as a study to children and infant development so that parents can begin to educate their children early on with mental stimulation and simple forms of brain exercise.

This week a study released shows some very good news about a potential new campaign to stop smoking. This time the campaign is aimed directly at youth smokers, specifically teenagers and high school students. According to the study, exercising is a highly effective way to get these students to stop smoking.

The theory behind the study was that the nicotine in a cigarette creates a physical buzz that the kids enjoy. Because the students had been smoking for a year or less in most cases they had not become addicted to the nicotine directly but rather the buzz it provided. Heavy exercise was enough to provide that same buzz to the smokers and remove the need for nicotine or smoking.

Obviously this is still just a preliminary study but researchers say it is absolutely great news for smokers worldwide. This could easily be developed into a nicotine and exercise based stop smoking plan that may become the most successful stop smoking system ever. No word on when a follow up study will be conducted but doctors and researchers are hopeful that this will lead to something major. This is absolutely great news for anyone that has ever seriously struggled with stopping a major smoking habit.

Obesity and a lack of exercise is a major problem for millions of people around the world and unfortunately things are not improving in most areas. The good news is that this week a medical study released shows that just a few simple steps can actually make a huge difference in terms of life expectancy for even the most overweight people. The study was focused on people that exercise just over 10 minutes per day and it showed that there can be a significant life expectancy increase.

Just 10 minutes of exercise per day was linked to a life expectancy increase of nearly 2 years, which is a very noticeable change. Of course the study also showed that 20 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour each added progressively more time onto a person’s life which once again shows the importance of exercise. The good news is that no matter how bad of shape a person is in, a simple and short workout really can make a difference.

As always doctors are recommending exercise and healthy eating to everyone and this just goes to show that even the slightest change can make a big difference. A quick 10 minute workout per day might not be enough according to most doctors, but it will at least get you started in the right direction.

According to a group of researchers exercise is incredibly effective in a very short period of time and as such even the slightest bit of exercise is useful. The study was focused on exercise and its affect on DNA and cells, the results are good news for everyone because it shows that there is a more direct link than we previously though. Scientists already knew that exercise triggered various genes in the DNA strand which helped metabolism and muscle growth but they did not know exactly how fast, now we know that it occurs almost immediately.

The research paper released this week showed a nearly 100% change of DNA and genes being impacted almost instantly. This is quite surprising given the fact that researchers generally believed it would at least take a short bit of time. The immediate reaction by DNA was seen in both active, and inactive workout participants so even if you don’t frequently workout it will have the same affect. This is great news because even for people that haven’t worked out at all there will be an instant chance on the DNA level which boosts metabolism and cell energy burn rates. Of course this alone is not enough to lead to significant weight loss but every little bit helps, especially when it is an instant reaction. Further research is being conducted to see if this reaction could possibly replicated with a medical drug or something that would function as a weight loss pill.

Children who routinely exercise are frequently much better in school than their counterparts for a variety of reasons and a study released today confirms that belief. The study shows that children who exercise either at recess, playtime, or at home are significantly more likely to do well in school for a number of reasons. Of course healthier living is also associated with it say researchers which is very good news for thousands of people.

Exercise is an important part of everyone’s lives and doctors say that many people, including kids, simply do not get enough exercise which may also be why so many kids do poorly in schools. Doctors are now recommending that parents encourage their children to exercise and eat healthy both for health reasons as well as educational reasons. Researchers say that children are likely more motivated and more energized in school when they frequently exercise which is the most likely reason as to why there is such strong correlation. Many officials are encouraging schools to begin new physical education programs that promote exercise and wellness in order to improve school performance as well as children’s health. A follow up study is planned into if there is actually a chemical link between exercise and school performance but for now most people are simply happy to see that there is a solid link between exercise and school. This is great news as it means parents have more reasons to encourage children to be healthy.

A new study released this week shows some promising links between dieting and brain health and doctors say it could be a big deal in the coming years in terms of research and medicine development. Brain health has always been a pretty big deal in terms of research and science so finding a solid link between brain health and another controllable factor is crucial to any sort of major advancement.

This study showed that a proper diet has much more of an impact than just helping people lose weight, it also significantly improved their chances at a healthy brain and healthy brain development. A combination of different vitamins and minerals are apparently the cause of the improvement and doctors say that a healthy and balanced diet will almost always guarantee that patients receive the correct amounts of these various vitamins so if you’re contemplating beginning a new diet this should be enough to convince you.

This is great news overall because it means doctors finally have something to use in the fight against the progressing brain problems we’ve been seeing. Simple vitamins are much more useful and effective than ever  thought before so this is just the beginning of what could be a major revolution in the way brain health and various problems are treated and cared for. For now doctors simply recommend choosing a healthy diet as it will not only help your appearance, but it will help your brain significantly as well.

The marathon is a long distance event that is about 26 miles long and normally held on a road. The event is held in commemoration of the famous run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides.

The soldier ran from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens. The marathon began in the Olympics in 1896 and became a regular part in 1921. Greater than 500 events are held in the world each year.

Recently, a marathon runner finished a 26 mile marathon and was praised for his finish that was not in the top three, or four or even five. Fauja Singh entered the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon Sunday and came in exactly last, behind everyone. Fauja, even though he finished last, could not have been more pleased with his performance.

It took him about eight hours to run the 26 mile course. Running at a speed of little more than 3 miles per hour, Singh was a sight to behold in his yellow turban and matching tee shirt. Singh moved to England after the deaths of his wife and son and soon thereafter, began to run in races. He has completed eight marathons so far and is very pleased with his performance.

Singh says his secret is living his life without smoking or alcohol, eating a vegetarian diet. His diet consists of curries and berries and little else. He also exercises every day putting in about 10 miles per day, walking and running. Despite the clean living and exercise regime, he still came in a full six hours behind the winner.

Of course, the winner is 38 and Singh is 100 years old and is called the Turbaned Tornado by some.

Singh has become the oldest athlete runner to finish a marathon. Singh was born in India and did not start running marathons until he was in his late eighties, right after the demise of his family. Fauja began running marathons and has no current plans to stop. Singh holds the Record for the 90 year old age group that he obtained at age 92.

Scientist have concluded that a program of physical exercise reduces the chances of cancer, heart disease, and all other old age causes of death by one quarter and raises life expectancy by two years proving that continued exercise provides optimal health into your later years.

Just ask Singh, he plans to keep on running because he feels that it keeps him going and alive.

If you like to exercise and you like to drink beer, then you will love the results of a recent study that shows that if you drink the foamy brew after hard exercise it helps your body retain fluids much more efficiently than plain water.

Doh! Yes, it’s true. Researchers at the Granada University in Spain just completed the study that showed that beer helped better when someone was dehydrated due to the bubbles and the carbohydrates in the yeasty brew. It appears the bubbles quench your thirst, while the carbohydrates in beer help make up for the calories you just burned during exercise. One down side is that the extra calories may or may not negate the exercise itself if you overdo the beer drinking.

The study took a group of college students and had them complete a series of activities in a room heated to 104 degrees. Afterwards half were given a pint of beer to drink and the other half a pint of water to drink. Testing showed the beer drinkers had a slight edge over the water drinkers for how hydrated they were. It appears that the beer somehow lets the body keep more of its precious moisture.

So, the next time you plan on some strenuous exercise, perhaps you should have a little brewski waiting for you afterwards. However, one does have to be careful not to drink and drive after downing any beer after your exercise session, so as always, drink responsibly!