curious about…


December 19, 2007, 4:00 pm
Filed under: 14-18, 19-39, 30-45, 45-60, 5-9, gaming, lifestyle, motivation, movement, play, prevention, research

Video Games: Good for the Body, Good for the Brain

Mon Oct 1, 2007 5:48PM EDT

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Treadmills and stretching are out: Physical therapists are turning to the Nintendo Wii to help the injured and infirm get their grooves back while increasing flexibility and strength. Click on over to see a video of a 70-year-old patient looking awfully spry as he hits a few balls in Nintendo’s Wii Sports tennis game… all part of a medical therapy regimen. (more…)


Fitness through the decades…
December 17, 2007, 3:40 pm
Filed under: 19-39, 30-45, 45-60, barriers, body image, lifestyle, motivation, prevention

If there’s a magic pill for staying youthful, it may be one that’s hard to swallow: exercise. Daily doses have been proven to thwart a number of aging factors — stress, obesity, heart disease, diabetes — and the longer you’re physically active, the less you’ll notice getting older.

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Weight training is good at any age.

The catch is that a 50-year-old’s body is not the same as a 20-year-old’s; you can’t push it the same way you once did, nor should you if you want to keep it in working-out order.

So listen to these coaches — they’re talking not just professionally but also firsthand — on how to remain fit, and proud of it, through the decades.

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Older Adults report…
December 17, 2007, 3:22 pm
Filed under: 45-60, barriers, environmental, lifestyle, overcoming, prevention
   

Barriers to Being Physically Active for the Older Adult
We all face barriers to physical activity – time constraints, energy levels, boredom and so on. Seniors face even more barriers, like…

  • Difficulty getting to facilities and programs
  • A lack of interest in physical exertion and getting hot and sweaty
  • Poorly designed neighbourhoods, or neighbourhoods that are unsafe because of crime or traffic congestion that make it difficult to even just get out and walk
  • Trouble finding specialized programs
  • Difficulty finding time for yourself because you’re busy caring for others
  • Feeling you’re unsteady on your feet
  • Stiffness, arthritis, osteoporosis or other medical conditions
  • A previous poor experience or injury.

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Urban planning and activity…
December 17, 2007, 3:18 pm
Filed under: 30-45, 45-60, barriers, environmental, overcoming, prevention

By David Helwig

SooToday.com

Sunday, November 05, 2006

NEWS RELEASES

SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY

HEALTH BEHAVIOR NEWS SERVICE

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New Saint Louis University research paints portrait of how active communities look

ST. LOUIS – A new comprehensive study by Saint Louis University researchers that flags the top 10 features of activity-friendly communities is a blueprint for improving public health, the author of the research says.

“We wrote the book on identifying the range of different influences that gets people engaging in physical activity not just for recreation but as part of their everyday life activities,” says Laura Brennan Ramirez, Ph.D., adjunct assistant professor of community health at Saint Louis University School of Public Health.

“We outlined what needs to happen and what is most feasible. It’s going to require a commitment toward health and social wellbeing.”

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