Posts by: Zero to Hero Fitness

Doing This Lowers Your Stroke Risk By 20%

It's every person's worst nightmare: A sudden, unexpected stroke. Yet every year, that's a reality for 795,000 people, a leading killer of older adults in the United States. For many Americans, preventing it isn't easy either--especially if the condition is genetic. But now a new study presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference says there may be a new way to lower a woman's risk by as much as 20 percent. The solution? Moderate physical activity. "The effects…
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Doing This on the Weekends Helps You Lose Weight

For most people, it's a vicious cycle: Near-perfect eating habits during the week, which often crumble into a diet of fries and pizza during the weekend. For those who can't resist the urge to splurge during the weekend, it's often a habit hard to break--but now researchers say this isn't such a bad idea. Reporting their findings in the journal Obesity Facts, researchers say that those who don't follow their diets on the weekend are actually normal eaters--and in the…
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Do These 3 Things to Stay Healthy After 50

At age 76, Ernestine Shepard isn't your typical senior. Earning a spot in the Guinness World Records 3 years ago, Shepard is one of the oldest female bodybuilders ever to compete--giving her the body and health of a 30 year old. And although she isn't as big as Iris Kyle, Shepard boasts a benching record of 150lbs and runs several miles a day. Better yet, she only started to exercise in her 50s. "I was too prissy to exercise [before…
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Researchers Say You Need to Follow This Diet

Here's a difficult question: What's the best diet for Americans? While some experts may argue the best diet is a low-carb or Paleo diet, researchers say one diet is unequivocally better than the rest: A low sodium diet. The findings, which were published in the journal Circulation, reviewed several studies looking at low sodium diets--and found that these diets were superior for most Americans. "We found there were no adverse effects with lower amounts of sodium and benefits continued to…
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Do This 2 Minutes a Day to Reduce Neck Pain By 40%

It's a plight most office workers face: Chronic neck and shoulder pain after a long day of work. The reason? Poor posture while sitting down--many workers are prone to hunching over, putting unnecessary pressure on the neck and shoulders. However, now researchers say there may be a simple way to deal with the pain--by doing a short, 2 minute exercise. "We hypothesized that performing two minutes of daily neck/shoulder resistance training for 10 weeks will beneficially alter the muscular activity…
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This Diet Reduces Depression By 41%

For most people, the unmistakable feeling of sadness, loneliness, and thoughts of suicide can be crippling--but few realize these are common signs of a depressive disorder. Worse yet, people often go years without treatment either due to misdiagnosis or fear of being stigmatized, something that could harm their mental and physical health in the long run. However, researchers now say there may be a way to stop depression without ever setting foot inside a doctor's office--by changing your diet. "Our…
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This 1 Weird Trick Makes You Burn More Calories

To lose weight, most experts say it's simple: Eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. But according to researchers from Sydney University, you may not need to exercise at all. Reporting in the journal Cell Metabolism, scientists say people exposed to a temperature below 59F for just 15 minutes experience hormonal changes equivalent to an hour of moderate exercise, as well as the creation of brown fat, a fat shown to increase a person's metabolism. "Our results showed that moderate…
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The 2 Antioxidants That Could Ruin Your Exercise Program

When it comes to losing weight, nutritionists say eating a diet rich in vitamins does the body a lot of good. Yet, if you plan to exercise, doing so may not be a good idea, according to recent research from Norway. Studying a total of 54 adults, researchers found that those who took vitamin C and E supplements prevented the increase of mitochondrial proteins--something which commonly increases during endurance training. Now experts say you should consider cutting your vitamin intake…
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Warning: Eating This Could Make You Fat!

For nutritionists, it's the easier principle: If you want to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories. But a new study published in the journal Pediatrics reveals that this isn't the only way you'll gain weight. Studying a total of 760 teenagers of Caucasian and African descent, researchers from Georgia Regents University found that teenagers consumed an average of 3,280 milligrams of salt every day--more than double the amount recommended by the American Heart Association. And this, researchers say,…
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Doing This 30 Minutes a Day Boosts Your Confidence

Feel stressed out by your work and family life? New research from scientists in Florida say there may be a new way to cope with it--by doing more aerobic exercise. The research, slated to be published in the journal Human Resource Management later this year, found that those who exercised regularly felt more empowered when it came to family and work, improving their self esteem. "We found that [participants] who exercised felt good about themselves, that they felt that they…
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