NEWS EXERCISE UPDATE

A recently published research experiment on inactive men with high blood pressure shows that just three months of soccer practice twice a week causes a significant fall in blood pressure, resting pulse rate, and percentage of body fat, and is more effective than the doctor’s usual advice on healthy diet and exercise. Other parallel experiments on both women and men further demonstrate that a regular game of soccer affects numerous cardiovascular risk factors such as maximal oxygen uptake, heart function, elasticity of the vascular system, blood pressure, cholesterol and fat mass, far more than for example strength training and just as much, if not more than running.

Football fitness

The soccer experiments are part of a large-scale research project on soccer and health carried out at the University of Copenhagen, four Danish University Hospitals, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the Schulthess Clinic in Zurich. one of the researchers states, “Our research shows that soccer is a versatile and intense form of exercise that

provides a positive effect on cardiovascular risk factors in a large group of untrained adult men and women,” and continues, “based on the results, soccer can be recommended as part of the treatment for high blood pressure and for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.”

A number of scientific Active travel a ‘must’ for kids

Children who cycle to school are more physically active and fit than those who use other modes of transport, according to new research from the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

The findings are based on a study of 6,000 children, aged 10 to 16, from the eastern region of England. The children’s cardiorespiratory fitness and travel habits were assessed during 2007 and 2008.

Researchers found boys who walked to school were 20 per cent more likely to be fit compared with those using motorised transport such as busses and cars, and girls who walked were 30 per cent more likely to be fit. Boys who cycled to school were 30 per cent more likely to be fit, but there was an even more dramatic difference in fitness among female subjects. Girls who biked to school were seven times more likely to reach the minimum fitness standard than girls who used motorised transport.

articles from the project were published on 2 February 2010 at a seminar at the University of Copenhagen and will also be published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports in a special edition issue entitled “Football for Health”. Source: Medical News Today www.medicalnewstoday.com/ articles/178005.php

In all cases, children who were driven to school had the lowest levels of physical fitness, being less fit than walkers, cyclists and even children who took the bus. Cyclists were also found to be more physically active at other times of the day when compared to children using other transport modes. Source: Medical News Today http://bit.ly/ActiveCommute

8

The REPs Journal 2010;16(March):8-10