ViPR unites strength and motion training in a tube

2011-12-19T05:30:08Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - It looks like just a perforated rubber pipe but when the ViPR is flipped, hoisted, rolled, dragged and thrown in endless variation advocates say it may be the most versatile fitness tool on the gym floor.

"You look at it and think, 'what am I going to do with this?' " said David Harris, vice president o...

Seniors in Sweden 'stayin' alive' with exercise

2011-12-12T18:30:43Z

The disco beat of 'Stayin' Alive' pulses through the room as Lennart Zetterqvist heaves dumbbells out to his side, zipping through the paces of a workout class with a twist: it's for seniors aged 90 and up.

Zetterqvist, the baby of the group at 90, is part of a growing group of pensioners in Sweden who are determined to stay in shape and remain active as they age.

Barefoot workouts gain ground

2011-12-12T04:30:32Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - With barefoot running all the rage, the unshod workout is gaining ground across the exercise spectrum.

Fitness experts from aerobics instructors to modern dancers are extolling the virtues of feeling the ground beneath their feet.

Connecticut-based fitness instructor Ellen Barrett teaches a mixture of Pilates, yoga and dance and conducts a...

Scientists kick off debate over barefoot running

2011-12-09T11:30:40Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Despite the cold and many other potential hazards, naked from the ankle down is the way Anna Toombs likes it, and she gets plenty of catcalls in the street as a result.

The 35-year-old co-founder of the personal training company Barefoot Running UK says she's lost count of the times people yell "where are your shoes?" as she and partner Afghanistan.

The unusual scene was orchestrated by French yoga enthusiast Amandine Roche, on a personal quest to promote the idea that for fighting to end and battle scars to fade in the warring nation, inner peace must out.

Can yoga and meditation help bring peace to Afghans?

2011-12-05T09:30:30Z

KABUL (Reuters) - As the Afghan government's Western backers pour in cash, and tens of thousands of foreign soldiers patrol the country, a French human rights activist is trying a new way to break the cycle of violence in Afghanistan: yoga and meditation.

"In thirty years of war, we've tried everything and nothing has worked,...

Smart treadmills, fitness kits under the Christmas tree

2011-12-05T02:30:11Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Santa's fitness elves have affixed smartphone technology to home equipment, programmed Tour de France terrain into stationary bikes and stuffed holiday stockings with trendy and functional workout toys.

Home treadmills, those stalwarts of basement exercise intentio...

When fitness takes a happy holiday

2011-11-28T07:30:30Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - It's the season when yoga classes are canceled and gyms go on holiday schedules, so to avoid the fitness consequences of all those Christmas parties, experts suggest making a workout plan and sticking to it.

"I tell my clients to make sure they have a routine in their back pocket," said Colorado-based fitness instructor Stacey Lei Krauss, "somet...

Dance fitness classes step up the cardio fun

2011-11-21T02:30:06Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Exercise loves company and adores rhythm, so why pound a treadmill when you can dance your cardio workout away?

Experts say dance-based workouts, from Zumba to Bollywood aerobics to flexes at the ballet barre, can take your fitness from grind to gladness, with an international fl...

Leapin' leprechauns, it's Guinness records day

2011-11-17T08:00:24Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Irish leprechauns, tea-sipping Britons, Australian ABBA impersonators and the oldest yoga teacher on the planet were just some of the people setting world records Thursday.

More than 300,000 people around the world took part in the seventh annual Reuters) - Whether it is Zumba, bootcamp, yoga or kickboxing, whatever your workout pleasure is, there's nothing like a great fitness class to get you to the gym and keep you coming back for more.

That's why major fitness chains keep eyes peeled and ears pricked for the next big thing.

"The single biggest benefit is community," said Tim Keightley, who oversees gr...

Yoga aids chronic back pain: study

2011-11-07T09:32:04Z

People who took yoga classes for chronic lower back pain experienced more lifestyle improvements and better overall health than those who sought a doctor's advice, said a study published Monday.

The research in the US journal the Annals of Internal Medicine was led by scientists at the

Yoga has small benefit for chronic back pain: study

2011-10-31T16:00:05Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Heath) - In a new UK study of adults with chronic lower back pain, a 12-week yoga class led to a small improvement in how well participants could perform daily activities, but did not ease their pain.

The report follows another recent study from Washington State t...

Yoga, stretching help lower back pain: study

2011-10-24T18:30:21Z

People who suffer chronic lower back pain saw about the same improvement after taking yoga classes taught by highly trained teachers as they did from stretching classes, said a US study Monday.

The findings, described by authors as the largest US randomized trial on yoga to date, appear in the October 24 issue of the Archives on Internal Medicine, a journal of the Hong Kong's pampered canines may have their own spas complete with jacuzzis and massage, but it can still be difficult for a dog to find inner peace. Help is now at hand in the shape of yoga instructor Suzette Ackermann and her yoga class -- for dogs.

Each Saturday morning in the city's Sheung Wan district, owners massage their pets before bringing them i...

Baby steps to barefoot running

2011-10-17T02:30:11Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tempted to join the barefoot running craze?

Begin with baby steps, experts say. Turning those tender feet into all-terrain vehicles takes time.

"The question isn't whether you can become barefoot walker or runner. The question is are you patient enough to start slowly," said Michael Sandler, a Colorado-based running and walking expert.

...

Workplace fitness is good for business

2011-10-03T02:30:05Z

NEW YORK (Reuters)- Stuck on a problem at work? The best way to solve it could be to get moving and take a walk.

Fitness experts thinking outside the cubicle are hoping to see the sedentary corporate culture of marathon meetings and vast stretches of unbroken computer time go the way of the typewriter.

"Forty years ago athletes were told if you drink water it's a sign of weakness. We a...

Middle-aged women happier with moderate exercise

2011-09-29T19:00:06Z

(Reuters) - Middle-aged women encouraged to exercise at moderate intensity were much happier and more likely to continue working out than peers who exercised more intensely, according to a study.

Researchers led by Steriani Elavsky of Pen...

RICE PUTS THE RUNNIN' BACK IN THE REBELS

2011-09-22T02:30:08Z

Some of the differences are subtle, some are not.

If you pay close enough attention, you'll notice that when the UNLV basketball players now break a huddle, they yell "Runnin' Rebels" in unison rather than just "Rebels." Another phrase you'll hear around the team's offices and facilities is "Let's Run," which is the marketing slogan being used as the highly anticipated 2011-12 season appro...

Fitness freebies for belt-tightening times

2011-09-19T14:30:33Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - If the economic downturn has forced you to scrap that pricey gym membership or those private yoga lessons, don't despair.

Times may be hard, but experts say finding cost-free ways to get, or stay, fit has never been easier.

"Just going to the gym is not as important as an active lifestyle," said Shirley Archer, spokesperson for the Reuters) -A mother-to-be hoists a rubber cylinder overhead. A 70-year-old balances on a wobble board and a firefighter grips a medicine ball while lunging across the gym floor.

Called functional training, workouts mirroring the activities of daily life have become a cornerstone of personal training sessions and group fitness classes, even if daily life can encompass anything from l...

For heart health, every bit of exercise counts

2011-08-31T12:30:24Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who walk or jog for just a couple of hours each week are at lower risk of heart disease than those who don't exercise, suggests a new study.

And among people already accustomed to getting the blood flowing, those who go above and beyond on physical activity seem to have the best heart outcomes, said researchers who analyzed past data on exercise and heart d...

Exclusive: Majesco to release Twister video game in November

2011-08-29T08:30:13Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fans of the 45-year-old classic party game Twister will soon be able to put their left foot on blue and their right hand on yellow in a new video game out this holiday season.

Majesco Entertainment Co, the video game publisher known for "Reuters) - TRX, hatched when a U. S. Navy Seal improvised a fitness tool from his parachute webbing, has become the workout darling of personal trainers, group fitness instructors and home exercisers alike.

"It's a nylon strap with two handles," said Frank Salzone, a trainer with the Equinox chain of fitnes...

Volunteer teaches yoga to Pakistani female prison inmates

2011-08-18T03:30:08Z

KARACHI (Reuters) - Behind the high walls and gates of the only prison for women in Pakistan's commercial hub, inmates such as Sadaf escape from prison every day -- even if it's only in her mind.

Small and thin, with friendly eyes set in a weathered face, Sadaf has been an inmate since ...

15 minutes of exercise a day can extend life by three years

2011-08-15T17:00:12Z

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Doing just 15 minutes of moderate exercise a day may add three years to your life, a large study in Taiwan has found.

Most people struggle to stick to the standard guideline of 30 minutes a day of exercise, five days a week, and experts hope that by identifying a lower dose, more people will be motivated to get of...

Gym machines offer the attraction of distraction

2011-08-15T09:30:10Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Modern cardio machines come with so many bells and whistles that it's routine to watch a favorite movie, scale a virtual mountain, or share gossip with Facebook friends while getting fit at the gym.

But what do you push to maximize your workout?

Josh Lyon, of the chain of national g...

Yoga for Jobless

2010-12-21T03:31:42Z

In this photo taken Nov. 9, 2010, Cara Farlow, left, and Catherine Lewis practice yoga at Yoga on High yoga center in Columbus, Ohio. Yoga on High has free yoga classes for people who are unemployed. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

...

Falcons Guinness

2010-12-07T12:01:04Z

Students from across the metro Atlanta area follow the lead of Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Spencer Adkins during an attempt to set the Guinness World Record for the largest virtual physical education class Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010, in Atlanta...

MED Diabetes Fitness

2010-11-23T14:31:44Z

Deidra Atkins-Ball, 44, walks in Forest Park Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010, in Baton Rouge, La. Atkins-Ball has diabetes and took part in a study where she was in a nine-month fitness program combining aerobics and weight training. She successfully lowered her blood sugar levels. People with diabetes should mix aerobics with we...

Southern Baptists Yoga

2010-10-07T08:45:31Z

In this photo taken Friday, Sept. 24, 2010, Stephanie Dillon conducts a yoga class in Louisville, Ky. Dillon's practice of yoga puts her at odds with Southern Baptist Seminary President Albert Mohler who feels the stretching and meditative discipline derived from Eastern religions is not a Christian pathway to God. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

...

Reds Baseball

2010-10-04T14:45:59Z

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto, left, talks with Miguel Cairo, right, during a workout at Great Amerian Ball Park, Monday, Oct. 4, 2010 in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

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