Posts by: Zero to Hero Fitness!

This 1 Trick Makes Your Body Work Out Harder

When it comes to working out, researchers say cardio and strength training are best--but now a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Autonomic Neuroscience says simply watching someone work out could get you fitter. Reporting from the University of Western Sydney in Australia, researcher Vaughan Macefield says that simply watching a video of someone working out raises muscle sympathetic nerve activity--activity which normally increases while working out. It's a strange bit of news, to say the very least.…
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This Lifestyle Change FIGHTS Aging

Want to age well? Turns out there's one easy way to ensure a better quality of life as you reach your senior years, according to a recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine: Exercise regularly. According to the research, which was first reported by Medical Xpress on November 25, seniors who sustained "regular physical activity" for a period of four years were more likely to experience healthy aging, a term used to described good mental health as…
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Don’t Take This Prescription If You Want To Get Slimmer

If you're trying to fight obesity, then you know how hard it is to lose weight--and now new research shows that calories may not be the only reason you're fatter. According to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, antibiotics may be causing you to have a bigger physique. Martin Blaser, physician and head of the human microbiome program at New York University, says he first uncovered this link after comparing increasing rates of obesity and…
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This Diet on Youtube Could Kill You, Say Experts

For most people, losing weight is an everyday struggle--but now a group of Youtubers have started a new diet trend that have nutritionists worried. Called the Cotton Ball Diet, several Youtubers have advocated swallowing them as a way to stop people from eating more food--and therefore losing more weight. To add taste, they even recommend soaking the cotton balls first in a solution of orange juice or lemonade. This, they say, expands in your stomach, filling you up without the…
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Skipping This During Pregnancy Makes Your Baby Dumber?

"Eating for two" is a common phrase many women take to heart while pregnant, but new research from the University of Montreal says that carrying too much weight during pregnancy could affect your child in the worst way--by making your child dumber. The study, which was presented at the Neuroscience 2013 meeting in San Diego, California, studied newborns whose brains were examined using electrode devices--and found that women who stayed in shape had babies with more active brains. "Accumulating evidence…
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Eating This Reduces Your Cancer and Heart Disease Risk by 20%

According to recent statistics, heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death for both men and women in the United States--yet adding one simple food to your diet may reverse that. According to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, people who ate nuts everyday were 20 percent less likely to die from heart disease or cancer. This, say researchers, could be "groundbreaking." "Nuts used to be demonized because they're high in fat," says…
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This Exercise is Insanely Popular – Yet Could Be Dangerous

According to fitness experts, it's expected to be 2014's biggest workout trend--but it's a trend that has them worried. Called high intensity interval exercise, this new exercise movement has become popular thanks to home workout programs such as P90X, Insanity, and Crossfit. And it's expected to only become bigger once the new year arrives. "We’ve never seen something be introduced to the market and catch on so fast," says Walt Thompson, regents' professor of kinesiology at George State University, who…
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Exercise Decreases This Problem by 70%

For older women, insomnia is a huge concern--but instead of relying on sleeping pills to get you through the night, researchers say you're better off exercising. But it's when you exercise that matters most, say researchers from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. "It’s like doing a brisk walk," says Anne McTiernan, researcher of the study. "Nobody is saying people have to be athletes and do marathons." The Study in Detail Working on a study examining the effects of exercise on…
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Add This To Your Diet To Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

For years, it's seemed like nothing has stopped people from getting Alzheimer's disease--statistics even say it's expected to triple in the near future. Surprisingly, though, new research presented at Neuroscience 2013, a science conference, says there may be a potential new treatment on the way--a special extract made from rosemary and spearmint. Susan Farr, Ph.D., a research professor of geriatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, made the new treatment by drawing out antioxidants from spearmint and rosemary leaves.…
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This 1 Exercise Fights Memory Loss

As we get older, the importance of regular exercise continues to be recommended by doctors and nutritionists alike--yet many of us would rather veg out on the couch than get in a good workout. But now a new study says there may be another reason to stay physically active--it could improve your memory. Reporting in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, researchers say that aerobic exercise helps improve brain and cognitive function in older adults. "Physical exercise may be one…
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