Middle-aged joggers like Nicolas Sarkozy have longer, happier lives

President Sarkozy’s “funny turn” is likely to have been met with sage nods from those middle-aged couch potatoes who believe that exercise, particularly running, is an activity for the young. But they are wrong.

Far from putting untold strain on the heart and joints, middle-aged joggers tend to live longer, happier lives than their sedentary peers.

Source: Times Online
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Salute the ageing athlete

Second Wind: The Rise of the Ageless Athlete is an absorbing account of a growing subculture of people who are challenging the notion of what it means to grow old.

While throngs of older folks are exercising, the majority of Baby Boomers live sedentary lives and obesity rates are also climbing.

Older athletes can act as role models for an ageing population and we need to understand how they live and train like never before.

While these active baby boomers can hardly be considered old, they are already rewriting the rules of ageing. Their stories of trials and perseverance will help motivate their less active peers to take exercise and achieve their best.

Some older athletes are blessed with tremendous talent. But others didn’t start until middle age. If there is a common thread in their lives, it’s a belief that an athletic act, executed with old bones and muscle, can give meaning to life in ways that love and religion can not.

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International Conference of Sport Kinetics

11th International Conference of Sport Kinetics
Current and future directions in human kinetics research
25th – 27th September 2009, Kallithea, Halkidiki, Greece

Physical education and recreation teachers, coaches, medical doctors and physiotherapists, students and scientists specialising in all aspects of human kinetics will have the opportunity to discuss the subject of the “Current and Future Directions in Human Kinetics Research”.

Fina to ban hi-tech suits from 2010

World swimming governing body Fina has decided to ban controversial non-textile swimsuits, but not until 2010.

The introduction of polyurethane suits in 2008 coincided with a marked improvement in swim times meaning world records have fallen dramatically.

However, with the ban not being implemented until January polyurethane suits will still be used at the Fina World Championships in Rome. That is likely to see more records set which may not be broken for many years.

The return to common textile suits, men in shorts and women in suits above the knee and to the shoulder strap, would mean world records would be almost impossible to better in the short term.

Stressed workers shun exercise

The economic downturn is having a detrimental effect on the health, fitness and wellbeing of the nation, according to a new survey released by Cancer Research UK to launch its Run 10k series.

The findings reveal that a quarter of people are spending more hours at work compared to this time last year and over half of those that are currently working admit that work affects the level of exercise they do. Worryingly, over a quarter of those currently working admit they don’t regularly exercise.

European Network of Sport Science, Education & Employment

The 10th ENSSEE Forum
17th to 20th September
Ragensa, Italy

The forum is titled “Best Practice in Sport Education – From Framework to Action” and will provide participants with many opportunities to work together in special workgroups, to get the latest news, developments and achievements in plenary sessions or to make new contacts and partners who share the same interests and goals to work together in future projects.

ENSSEE is confident it will provide a programme loaded with interesting workshops and plenary sessions, chaired and hosted by a field of international experts.

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The community for active ageing professionals

Human Kinetics and the International Coalition on Aging and Physical Activity (ICAPA) are pleased to announce the launch of the Active Ageing Community Centre, the first of a planned series of such interactive community websites.

Its aim is to advance the field of active ageing collectively across the globe and community members will have the opportunity to publish their own articles and research as well as join in discussion forums, access career development opportunities and generally keep abreast of the latest trends.

They will do this principally through access to our new online journal, Active Aging Today and a discussion board, Forum.

Healthy diet and exercise in Alzheimer’s studies

New research finds eating healthy, moderate activity and genes that don’t predispose you to dementia is a recipe for preserving cognitive function as you age, according to four new studies that were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association annual conference, in Vienna.

The findings echo other research suggesting that clean living can safeguard mental sharpness. However, one of the studies did contain a surprise finding – that strenuous exercise could actually impair cognitive skills later in life.

That should be viewed, for now, with some scepticism, said William Thies, chief medical and scientific officer of the Alzheimer’s Association.
“That’s something I wouldn’t take on faith from a single study,” he stressed.

Get ready for the baby boomers

From 2011 onwards the baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, will begin their transition out of the workforce and into retirement.

As they do so, they will be looking for opportunities in fitness, sports, outdoors, arts and cultural events and other activities that suit their vibrant lifestyles.

With their varied life experiences, values, and expectations, baby boomers are predicted to redefine the meaning of recreation and leisure programming for mature adults.

Though many researchers have forecast the boomers’ impact on the future, only Leisure Programming for Baby Boomers addresses key information that recreation and leisure professionals need in order to make programme decisions with baby boomers in mind.

European Inclusive Physical Education Training Conference

European Inclusive Physical Education Training Conference
October 23rd, 2009, Burlington Hotel, Dublin, Eire

The conference represents the conclusion of a 2-year project aimed at refining a model, module and resource pack for the delivery of Inclusive Physical Education in Teacher Training and In-service education.

The model, module, functional map, knowledge competence and skills framework and accompanying resource pack will all be given to conference delegates at the event.

There is no charge for attendance at the event as it is supported by the European Commission under the Leonardo da Vinci Lifelong Learning Programme.

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Promoting physical exercise in adults

What are the most cost effective ways of promoting physical exercise in adults?

A study published in the open access journal PLoS Medicine has found that of six interventions promoting exercise in adults in Australia, encouraging the use of pedometers and promoting physical activity through mass media campaigns are the most cost-effective in terms of the money spent for the health benefits they result in.

Quercetin increases endurance

Quercetin may not be a household word yet but a study by researchers at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health shows that the powerful antioxidant/anti-inflammatory compound found in fruits and vegetables significantly boosts endurance capacity and maximal oxygen capacity (VO2max) in healthy, active but untrained men and women.

The findings of the study, one of the first in humans to examine the energy-boosting effects of quercetin, are reported in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism

Nutrition for optimal performance

Sport Nutrition for Coaches is a complete resource for coaches looking to ensure their athletes achieve optimal performance through proper nutrition.

In its practical and easy-to-understand format, this text supplies coaches, personal trainers and fitness specialists with a wide range of information, including balancing nutrients, monitoring supplement use and dealing with disordered eating.

This book also contains several planning tools that can help readers to put the information and strategies to use. As one of only two nutrition books on the market geared toward coaches, this is a valuable resource for people working with athletes.

Strength training and aerobic exercise lower cardiovascular risks and reduce pain

Different types of work site exercise programmes have multiple benefits, including reduced neck and shoulder pain for employees who do all-around exercise and lowered heart disease and stroke risk factors for those who do strength training, reports a study in the July Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine,

Led by Mogens T. Pedersen, PhD, of University of Copenhagen, the researchers randomly assigned 841 Danish office workers to two exercise groups.

One group did all-around exercise, such as aerobics, walking, etc. The other group did strength training, focusing on the shoulder and cervical spine (neck) muscles. Both programmes included one hour of supervised exercise per week, during working hours. A third group received no exercise programme at work.

Remarkable anatomical animation at your fingertips!

Human Kinetics is pleased to offer an innovative range of interactive CD-ROMs and DVDs and a web-based subscription service that depict anatomy in remarkable new ways.

This series of anatomical and clinical pathology software features computer graphic models of human anatomy derived from MRI scan data. The fully interactive 3-D animations show function, biomechanics and surgical procedures.

Attention to detail, accuracy and clarity are at the cornerstone of all these amazing products, which were created by Primal Pictures and designed by experts in the United Kingdom and the United States.