Posts by: Zero to Hero Fitness

This Simple Trick Increases Exercise Motivation by 60%

It sounds like common sense, but few people follow it: To motivate yourself to exercise, do something that you like to do. Unfortunately, most Americans struggle to even do this on a regular basis, according to recent statistics. How you feel about certain exercises really can help as far as motivation is concerned, however, according to a new study from the University of New Hampshire. "Small amounts of easy, enjoyable activity are best for revving up your energy level and…
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Doing This 5 Hours a Day Could Cause Heart Failure

If you're a man over the age of 40, your risk of heart failure increases--especially if you're obese and don't exercise. But if you're planning to pick up exercise as a way to combat this risk, think again: Researchers say you still face a higher risk of heart failure if you still spend most of your day sitting down. The research is published in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure. "In this diverse cohort of middle-aged and older men, low physical…
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This Exercise Reduces Stress by 14%

For most of us, it's a common occurrence: Mild to moderate stress. But for mothers expecting their first child, stress can sometimes be a daily occurrence, thanks to concerns such as delivering a healthy baby, avoiding gestational diabetes, or even trying to stay financially afloat after giving birth. But now researchers say there may be a way to nip these common stressors in the bud--by doing yoga. This research now study appears in the health journal Depression and Anxiety. "There…
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Doing This Reduces Your Heart Attack Risk By 11%

It's a known fact: As you get older, your risk of a heart attack increases. But is there a way to stop it naturally? According to new evidence from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, there is--by getting in more physical activity. The research, led to Luisa Soares-Miranda, Ph.D., is published in the journal Circulation. "Early abnormalities in this system are picked up by changes in heart rate variability, and these changes predict the risk of future heart…
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Eating This Lowers Body Fat and Your Diabetes Risk?

Not getting enough calcium? Turns out it could raise your risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity, according to a new study presented at the Experimental Biology 2014 meeting in San Diego, CA. The research, which was led by researcher Laura Tosi, M.D., also reveals there's a racial component to this risk, as African Americans are more likely to develop diabetes if they don't get enough calcium in their diet. For Tosi, it's a critical but exciting finding. "Even though…
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This Simple Activity Improves Your Memory

Having trouble acing your finals? Well here's one way to improve your performance--get on the treadmill. The research, which was headed by scientists from Michigan State University, found that those were more fit were able to memorize and recall more information better than those who weren't. The study is published in the online version of the journal Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience. "The findings show that lower-fit individuals lose more memory across time," says Kimberly Fenn, co-author of the study…
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Stressed Out? How it Can Actually Make You Fat!

Feeling stressed out? Here's something scary: It could actually make you fatter, according to a controversial new study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology. Led by researcher Kirstin Aschbacher, Ph.D., she says her findings show that weight loss isn't just a simple matter of calories in, calories out--other factors can influence it as well. "Chronic stress can play an important role in influencing biology, and it’s critical to understand the exact pathways through which it works," says Aschbacher, Ph.D., who works…
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This Diet Lengthens Your Life by 27%

Want to live longer? Well here's one way to do it if you're a heart attack survivor: Eat more fiber. The new research was reported on April 29 in the online version of the British Medical Journal. "[The study] gives us another piece of information we can use to advise our heart patients on how to be as healthy as they can be," says Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of the Women and Heart Disease program at Lenox Hill Hospital in…
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This Controversial Diet Can Help You Lose 35lbs

Imagine it: A diet where you can anything you want, without having to count calories, cook special foods, or follow ridiculous rules. And you're guaranteed to lose 35 pounds in the process. To most, this sounds like a dream come true--but the late Seth Roberts, Ph.D., a University of California at Berkeley professor emeritus of psychology calls it the Shangri-La Diet. "My scientific work on this had two parts: I came up with a new theory of weight control; and…
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This Increases Obesity By Up to 60%?

For many girls growing up, it's a rite of passage: Enduring taunts of looking "too ugly" or "too fat" from fellow classmates. Yet now research shows that calling people fat in their adolescence is more likely to make them obese later in life, according to research from the University of California. Now published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, lead author A. Janet Tomiyama says these results show that calling someone fat doesn't help motivate them to be skinny--instead, it seems…
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