Skip to main content

Exercise and Fitness Archive

Articles

How much aerobic exercise does it take to lose weight?

In a 2024 study of more than 183,000 middle-aged healthy people followed for 13 years, those who closely followed a plant-based diet had lower risks of developing blood clots in the legs or lungs, even if their genes made them more likely to get the blood clots.

Exercises that go easy on the bladder

Several strategies can help people cope when stress incontinence leads to urine leaks during exercise. For example, doing low-impact (rather than high-impact) exercise will put less stress on the pelvic floor muscles, helping to reduce leakage. Wearing absorbent "bladder leak" underwear can keep someone dry and comfortable during activity. Regularly strengthening the pelvic floor, abdominal, and hip muscles will bolster the body's ability to keep urine from leaking out of the bladder.

One chair, four moves

Chair exercises are a great way to supplement a person's regular workout, or as a replacement when they can't do their usual routine. They also can be used for people returning to exercise after an injury or surgery, or for those with physical limitations. Chair exercises can offer a full-body workout and especially help address two areas people need assistance with as they get older: strength and flexibility. Most chair exercises can be modified to make the movements more or less challenging.

Try this: Put on some weight

Wearing a weighted vest can make exercises more challenging and place extra pressure on the bones, which may help maintain bone mass by stimulating the growth of new bone cells. They can be worn while walking, running, or doing body-weight or free-weight exercises.

Even small amounts of extra exercise could lower blood pressure

A 2024 study suggested that even five minutes of additional vigorous daily exercise could lower blood pressure.

Free Healthbeat Signup

Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox!

Sign Up
Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE special health report Living Longer, Living Well!

PLUS, don’t miss out on your 25% off promo code.

Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle—You’ll discover powerful, research- backed strategies for health longevity drawn from Harvard Medical School experts—ways to eat for a longer life, build strength and flexibility to stay independent, protect your bones, heart, and brain as you age, and even cultivate the habits linked with “super-agers” who stay sharp and active well into their 80s and 90s—all delivered to your email box FREE.

Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Plus, get a FREE copy of Living Longer, Living Well!.

Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Plus, get a FREE copy of Living Longer, Living Well.