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MONDAY, Feb. 24, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Very fit American adults enjoy a wider range of physical activities than those who are less active, a new study finds. The findings could help point to ways to boost physical activity in adults, according to the researchers. Data gathered from more than 9,800 adults nationwide between 2003 and 2006 showed that those who were active had done at least two different activities in the past month, but the most active did five. "Since a greater variety of activities was associated with meeting exercise guidelines, mixing up your workouts to vary the type of exercise could be beneficial," said study lead author Susan Malone, an assistant professor of nursing at New York University, in New York City. Walking was the most common activity, with more...

MONDAY, Feb. 24, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Smartphones appear to be more effective than wearable fitness devices in helping doctors track patients' physical activity, researchers say. Their new study included 500 patients who joined activity tracking programs at two Philadelphia hospitals. Half used a smartphone app to track their daily steps after leaving the hospital. The other half used a wearable device. Patients were instructed to send their step data to researchers on a regular basis. If they hadn't done so for four straight days, there were reminded via emails, texts or voice messages. During follow-up, patients using the smartphone app were more likely to relay their data than those with the wearable devices. Thirty days after hospital discharge, 87% of the smartphone group...

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Changing up the amount of weight they lift could help weightlifters get stronger with less effort, a new study suggests. In traditional weight training -- called one rep max -- the maximum weight an athlete can lift dictates the weight load for all sessions. This study compared one rep max with an approach called load velocity profile, in which athletes lift varying weights from session to session. Over six weeks, athletes who used the load velocity profile became stronger than those who used one rep max, despite lifting less overall, according to sports scientists at the University of Lincoln, in the U.K. The study, published recently in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research included 16 men, ages 18 to 29, with at least two...

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Gyms are bustling with regulars and resolutioners, all working up a sweat. But what's the secret to an easy, effective workout? It may be in the music. A new study found that listening to music at a higher tempo reduces the perceived effort of exercise. For endurance exercises, such as walking on a treadmill, the effects were greatest. "We found that listening to high-tempo music while exercising resulted in the highest heart rate and lowest perceived exertion, compared with not listening to music," said study author Luca Paolo Ardigo, from the University of Verona in Italy. "This means that the exercise seemed like less effort, but it was more beneficial in terms of enhancing physical fitness." The benefits of listening to music during a...