If you don’t want to catch this deadly staph infection which cannot be treated by antibiotics then you don’t want to share towels or razors.  You should also avoid skin-to-skin contact when playing sports. Places to be careful around in the gym include the grips of exercise machines and the spouts at drinking fountains.  Buy a bottle of water to drink instead.

This new aqua fitnees machine achieves is beneficial for cardiovascular fitness and also enhances strength and flexibility training through a unique melding of swimming, isotonic resistance, and the Pilates method. Their device also allows you to stay stable and swim in place while you do the exercises using and inflatable belt and resistance bands. 

This system is simple, sleek and self contained and easy for anyone at any fitness level to use.  Aside from giving you the regular aerobic benefits of exercising in the water you also get the toning and stretching that creates such a beautiful body for those who practice Pilates.

  The municipal government is also planning to enforce a set of regulations banning smoking at Olympic venues, where the athletes stay and in the stadiums. Sales of cigarettes would also be banned in all of the Olympic  venues, training and accommodation areas.   The only country before that has enforced No Smoking at the Olympics was Barcelona in 1992.

Next time you are feeling a bit under the weather, and need some medical advice, don’t call the doctor, call a real estate developer.”

That quote is from Dr. Richard Jackson, a pediatrician and one of the nation’s leading experts in the field of public health. Jackson is referring to the powerful and often overlooked impact that the communities we build have on the health of those who live in them.

Well designed neighborhoods that promote walking and cycling increase the odds that people will exercise, leading healthier and longer lives. Cities that have made efforts to emphasize walking and cycling have managed to shift between 14 and 20 percent of their transportation to those modes, versus the 1 to 1.5 percent national average.

(Source)

The relationship with muscle mass to immune function lies within the reserve of protein structures. For example, during vigorous exercise and over-training, the protein reserves are used to repair muscle and recuperate from the training and therefore little is left over for our immune systems.

So, the more muscle you have available, the better.

(Source)

The military-style program — a circuit of drills ranging from running and jumping jacks to push-ups, squats and sit-ups — appeals to people with busy schedules who need to pack a hard workout into a quick hour.

Gyms are increasingly offering the program as boot camp sessions gain national exposure on makeover television shows. Many boot camps in Southern California are taught at parks and beaches by former soldiers.

(CNN)

A new study has shown that in some people, this genetic switch may never be triggered - limiting their benefits from aerobic exercise.

“Our study introduces a new complication — that is, it is possible that some people can’t benefit from exercise as much as others, and these people may ultimately be at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease,” Timmons, a scientist at the Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, told Discovery News.

He added, “On a practical level, the low responders may simply have to invest much more time and effort training to gain the same benefits. This last point is, however, only speculation. The low-responders may always remain low-responders.”

(Discovery.com)

Marketing to those boomers can be a bit tricky for gyms used to dealing with younger generations.

At age 65, Lillian Doran knows what she doesn’t want from a gym. “I don’t want a place that just caters to the young and thin,” she said. “I don’t want to be around these babies who are a size 2.”

Doran, a petite, fit-looking woman herself, wants a place that makes people her age feel comfortable _ and these days, that’s not so hard to find.

Bally Total Fitness is launching its “Build Your Own Membership” plan which is aimed primarily at baby boomers.

“We’re moving away from that ad that only shows young, beautiful people with a Greek-god physique,” said Jim McDonald, the company’s chief marketing officer.

While seeking to lure boomers, the “Build Your Own” campaign features people from a variety of demographics and is careful not to alienate Bally’s younger members.

The growing population of older American’s has helped propel new gym concepts like “Curves for Women” for which there are now nearly 8,000 locations in the U.S. (Washington Post)

Experts believe Branson intends to expand the chain into France and India.

“We now wish to take the concept to a wider global market and as part of that process offered to buy out Bridgepoint. I would like to thank them for their support over the last three years.”

Bridgepoint is believed to have trebled its money on the Virgin Active investment, having already refinanced most of the debt it raised to back its acquisition and fund expansion.

Source.

Scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden randomly selected 1449 people between the ages of 65 and 79 who had been previously surveyed about their leisure-time physical activity. Original surveys were done in 1972, 1977, 1982, and 1987. Once resurveyed, the researchers found that those who exercised at least twice a week had a 60 percent lower chance of Alzheimer’s than the sedentary group.

Dr Kivipelto states: “These findings may have wide implications for preventive healthcare; if an individual adopts an active lifestyle in youth and at midlife, this may increase their probability of enjoying both physically and cognitively vital years later in life¨.

Source.