Exercise protects and improves the aging brain

By Megan Brooks

NEW YORK, US - Two new studies provide more evidence that regular aerobic exercise not only staves off the problems with thinking and memory that often come with age, but it can actually help turn back the clock on brain aging.

In one study, researchers found evidence that engaging in moderate physical activity such as brisk walking, swimming, or yoga in midlife or later may cut the risk of developing mild thinking problems.

Tai chi may improve quality of life for heart patients: Study

People with chronic heart failure may be able to boost their quality of life by doing tai chi, the ancient Chinese exercise regimen, a US study suggested on Monday. -- ST PHOTO: GEORGE GASCON

WASHINGTON - PEOPLE with chronic heart failure may be able to boost their quality of life by doing tai chi, the ancient Chinese exercise regimen, a US study suggested on Monday.

Two group sessions of one hour each per week were enough to show significant improvements in mood and confidence, said the Boston-based study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal of the American Medical Association.

The study compared 50 US heart patients who enrolled in tai chi classes - sessions led by an instructor who guided the class in a series of fluid motions - to 50 who took classroom study in heart education.

Exercises to Make Your Bust Bigger

I'm not trying to sound gross or trampy, but is there any way to make your bust bigger? I don't want a product, I want something I can do at home without having to buy something. Please help me. Thanks.

Question:
Hey, no need to apologize. All women want great looking breasts. But before I answer your question, let me give you a quick anatomy lesson. Your breasts are actually made up of fatty or adipose tissue, so their size depends upon how much fat you tend to store there, which calls in factors like your genetics, your weight, your health and your age. The muscles that reside directly underneath your breast are called the pectorals. They are partly responsible for the "perkiness" of your breasts.

Meditation a powerful tool against pain: Study

Even beginners to meditation can experience powerful pain-relieving effects with an exercise called 'focused attention', a study released on Tuesday found.

WASHINGTON - MEDITATION can deliver powerful pain-relieving effects to the brain with even just 80 minutes' training for a beginner in an exercise called focused attention, a study released on Tuesday found.

'This is the first study to show that only a little over an hour of meditation training can dramatically reduce both the experience of pain and pain-related brain activation,' said Dr Fadel Zeidan, lead author of the study and a post-doctoral research fellow at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina. The findings appear in the April 6 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

Being overweight leads to deadly strain of breast cancer

CHICAGO - SCIENTISTS know that being overweight increases the risk of breast cancers fed by estrogen, but being too fat may also increase the risk of triple-negative breast cancers, a less common and far more deadly type, US researchers said on Tuesday.

They said women who are overweight had a 35 per cent higher risk of developing triple-negative breast cancers, an aggressive form of cancer that affects 10 to 20 per cent of cases.

'The fact that we found an association with triple-negative breast cancer is unique because, biologically, this subtype is very different from other breast cancers,' said Amanda Phipps of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Philadelphia, whose study appears in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Women's problem areas:The tummy

This is the third and most interesting chapter of our healthy guide handling ladies’ problematic areas. We talked about the upper body, toning muscles without bulking up and losing femininity, with a 20 minute workout. We followed with an article about the lower body and hips, with another workout. Now, with the following workout for the torso and middle area, we have a full hour of exercises to achieve the body you dream of.

But first, remember not to do tummy exercises if you recently had a baby, are pregnant or think you could be. Talk to your doctor before beginning. We will soon provide a full article on fitness during pregnancy, so stay tuned.