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Exercise Improves
Young Brains, Too Walking, cycling, climbing stairs and other aerobic activities may improve brain function not only in older people, but also in younger folk, according to a Columbia Uni- versity study published in Neurol- ogy. The study recruited 132 people between 20 and 67 years old that didn’t exercise and had below-av-
erage fitness levels. Half stretched and toned four times a week for six months and half exercised aerobically on a treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical machine. When they were evaluated for their executive function thinking skills—regulating behavior, paying attention and achiev- ing goals—the aerobics group improved twice as much as the stretching group. “The people who exercised were testing as if they were about 10 years younger at age 40 and about 20 years younger at age 60,” says study author Yaakov Stern, Ph.D.
Prenatal Yoga Reduces
Caesareans and Labor Pain First-time mothers that practiced yoga beginning in the 30th week of pregnancy had fewer caesareans, fewer low-weight newborns and milder and briefer labor pains. They were also less likely to require painkillers or labor inducement. The Mangalore, India, hospital study, pub- lished in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, in- cluded 150 women 20 to 35 years old that were pregnant for the first time and had no prior yoga experi- ence. Half of the women did not do yoga, while the other half took 30-minute yoga classes once every week or two. Women in the yoga group were also more comfort- able after giving birth.
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