You’ve probably heard that cooldowns are essential for several aspects of recovery, including injury prevention, decreasing symptoms of muscular soreness and preventing stiffness. They have been part of exercise routines for decades, but does research support the prominence that cooldowns are given? What is a cooldown? Cooldowns come in a variety of shapes and sizes…
Category: Review
Research paper review: Group exercise intensity, enjoyment, and adherence
A study by researchers at the University of Pavia in Italy have found that the higher the intensity in a group exercise class, the less likely you are to enjoy it, and, therefore, adhere to it. Or so it would seem… The researchers took 27 people and put them through a moderate intensity fitness class…
HIITers, GRITers and CROSSFITers! New study suggests rest days are more important.
With the rise of programs such as Les Mills GRIT Series over the past half decade or so it is interesting to see when happens to participants. I have seen it myself – people flood into these varied, high energy classes, and you can see the appeal; it’s quick and the science has told us…
When a fitness fact isn’t really a fact: 5 reasons to question what you read..
There are lots of people in the fitness industry who like to flood social media with outlandish ‘quotes’ and ‘scientific evidence’ that ‘proves’ the most outrageous and varying statements imaginable. The truth is…much of it is rubbish. But how do we separate the good information from the bad? It is becoming increasingly difficult to separate good…
The effect of music on the brain is way more significant than you thought
It has been well-established that pre-pubescent children who have undergone musical training show a variety of skills that children without this type of training do not. One example of this is the child’s ability to learn a second language; they are more likely to find it easier learning languages than children without musical training. Read…
Can lack of exercise REALLY kill you sooner? This study tells all..
According to recent research based at the University of Cambridge, even a small amount of physical activity can make you live longer. Read the full article on my watchfit page here
Sleep Cycle – How well do you sleep?
Sleep Cycle is an app that I heard about years ago but had never tried out until recently. You put your phone underneath your pillow while you sleep and it tracks (using your phone’s internal movement tracker) your movements as you sleep. Apparently there is a direct correlation between movements and sleep cycles. The app…