Federal exercise guidelines include strength training for all

The government has raised the bar for physical activity levels — and nobody's exempt, not even children or older adults. And exercise researchers couldn't be happier.

The new Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are the most comprehensive federal recommendations ever and the new gold standard. "These are really well done, and I don't think they could get any more practical," says Tim Church, director of preventive medicine research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.

Among the recommendations:

• Adults should get at least 2½ hours of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, such as brisk walking, or 1¼ hours of a vigorous-intensity activity, such as jogging or swimming laps, or a combination of the two types, to get the most health benefits from exercise. These aerobic activities should be done in at least 10-minute bouts.

• To get even more health benefits, people should do five hours of moderate-intensity physical activity each week or 2½ hours of vigorous activity.

• Adults should do muscle-strengthening (resistance) activities at a moderate- or high-intensity level for all major muscle groups two or more days a week. This should include exercises for the chest, back, shoulders, upper legs, hips, abdomen and lower legs. The exercises can be done with free weights or machines, resistance bands, calisthenics that use body weight for resistance (push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups), or carrying heavy loads or doing heavy gardening such as digging or hoeing.

Rapid weight loss can lead to shedding more in the long run

Crash dieting is an effective way to slim, scientists have found. Despite health warnings from nutritionists, research showed that dieters who shed the most weight in their first month also lost more in the long run.

And they were just as likely to maintain their new shape as dieters who lost less.

The message, says the study, is that the first few weeks of a diet are critical and may spur dieters on.

University of Florida researchers followed more than 250 obese women who were asked to cut their calorie intake and increase their exercise for 18 months. Those who lost more than 1.5lb a week during the first month lost more than two stone within six months on average.

But those who initially lost less than half a pound a week ended up losing just 11lb overall. The 1.5lb a week figure is well within the safe limits recommended by most dieticians.

The Diet versions of citrus drinks such as Sprite may reduce risk of kidney stones

Fizzy citrus diet drinks may help stop people developing painful kidney stones, research suggests.

An ingredient in some soft drinks could be a preventive measure for those at risk of the disorder, scientists say.

The drinks - 7Up, Sunkist, Sprite, Fresca and Canada Dry ginger ale - contain high amounts of a compound called citrate.

This is known to inhibit the formation of calcium oxalate stones, the most common form of kidney stone.

Researcher Dr Brian Eisner, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said that patients are advised to drink two to three litres of fluids a day to reduce the problem.

'If drinking these helps reach that goal, that may be a good thing,' he told the Journal of Urology, adding that he is not advocating that those prone to stones 'run out and get diet soda'.

Recipe: Chicken and Mango Salad

Roast chicken tastes fantastic in this fruity mango salad and makes an idea light snack or side meal.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 portion lettuce, Romaine or cos, torn into pieces
* 2 stick celery, thinly sliced
* 4 portion spring onions, finely chopped
* 1/4 chunk cucumber(s), thinly sliced
* 300 g Mango(s), without stone, (1 large), peeled, pitted and chopped
* 400 g roast chicken, skinless, boneless, torn into pieces
* 150 g very low-fat plain yogurt
* 1 teaspoon curry powder, mild
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper, black, freshly ground
* 4 sprig fresh mint, to garnish


METHOD

Share the romaine or cos lettuce, celery, spring onions and cucumber between 4 serving plates or bowls. Top with an equal amount of the mango chunks, then share out the chicken between the portions.

To make the dressing, mix together the yogurt and curry powder. Spoon over the salads.

Serve, seasoned with a little freshly ground black pepper and scattered with a few mint leaves.

Notes:



Try adding 1 tsp freshly grated root ginger to the dressing for an added kick.

eating fatty food and watching TV can cut 12 years off your life

A couch potato lifestyle could make the difference between living into your 80s and dying in your 60s, research shows.

A large-scale study of the habits and health of British adults revealed that smoking, drinking, not exercising and eating badly can take 12 years off a person's life.

Although previous studies have estimated the impact of the various vices individually, few have looked at their combined impact on the body.

With most people having more than one bad habit, the latest study, say the researchers, gives a better picture of how the choices we make each day affect our health.

To make the link, they first analysed the answers health survey of almost 5,000 adults from across the UK carried out in the mid-1980s.