And a new “State of Mind” index has been created, to show how a lack of exercise in childhood can lead to poor mental health later in life.   The ages of 15 to 17 are most important for seeing life-long benefits from exercise.   Brits over the age of 78 are more than twice as likely to have been active every day during their childhood – than their Gen Z counterparts, a study has found. A new “State of Mind” index has ranked 22 countries around the world, based on the number of people who exercise across different age groups – and how this affects their mental health later in life. &n ..read more

MEDIA RELEASE: On behalf of the Matt Hampson Foundation   Hambo Throwdown 2024   This summer’s inaugural Hambo Throwdown is the first all-wheelchair-user functional fitness event in the UK.    The Matt Hampson Foundation charity is organising this event to give active wheelchair users an opportunity to satisfy their demand for competition within an inclusive, specifically-adapted fitness competition.    As an inclusive event, the Hambo Throwdown will also bring together top athletes in the world of para sport alongside first-time competitors.    Hosted ..read more

When you think of exercising for weight loss, what do you picture? Running? Cycling? Something that gets your heart beating hard and your body sweating heavily? Aerobic exercise has traditionally been associated with slimming down, while weight or resistance training – challenging your body to lift, push or pull its own weight, or that of barbells, kettlebells or dumbbells – was reserved for bodybuilders who were bulking up.    According to a survey published in 2022, around two thirds of people in England are meeting the national exercise guidelines of 150 minutes of aerobic activi ..read more

There is an idea that getting fit means expensive gym memberships and ludicrously priced leggings – this need not be the case. From alternatives to weights to finding a fitness family, personal trainers share their secrets to getting fit for free.   Move every day Fitness is not “a bonus or luxury for your life”, says Devi Sridhar, the chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh who qualified as a personal trainer in 2022. Instead, it is about “going back to basics, which is moving your body every single day and avoiding sedentary behaviour”.   Make sure your regime ..read more

UKFitness.pro, the nation’s largest community of personal trainers, has unveiled its annual report, shedding light on income disparities and gender pay gaps within the personal training industry across the United Kingdom. Kent, UK – A groundbreaking analysis of 500 fitness professionals across 20 English counties, conducted by ukfitness.pro, the nation’s largest database of fitness professionals, has revealed a striking  revelation: Kent stands out as a lucrative hub for personal trainers. The analysis uncovered a significant income displarity for personal trainers in Kent. Rat ..read more

Drumboxing, turkey tail mushrooms and the high street gut shot everyone will be talking about. Here’s your guide to getting fit this year………. Finding the treadmill a bit of a, well, treadmill? Luckily there are a host of new ways to get fit — and stay fit — this year.   Strength training seems to be bigger than ever. According to the workout booking app Mindbody, more than 60 per cent of its customers now include weight or strength training in their exercise routines. In 2024, say, experts, isometric training, a form of strength building with minimal movements, such as planks and wall sit ..read more

Along with her late husband, Elaine LaLanne revolutionised modern fitness in the 50s and 60s – now she wants to share her inspiration. The First Lady of Fitness is demonstrating her “Face-A-Tonic” exercises. “You have more than 50 muscles in your face. Place two fingers on the bones right below your eyes. Just lightly touch,” she instructs. “When you close your eyes, you can feel those muscles working. Open your mouth wide, close and open. I do a lot of this because when we get older, it feels like everything is closing up. Stick your chin forward, and blow your cheeks out. Then suck them ..read more

New research suggests that knees aren’t simply ‘worn’ down – and that squats and lunges are their best protection   The list of life’s inevitables is long. It includes death, taxes, sagging skin and the gradual inability to understand how modern television remote controls work. Dodgy knees used to be on the roster for millions of us too. New research, however, provides a glimmer of hope for potential future knee replacement patients. Squats and lunges may be your saviours.   A study presented at the Radiological Society of North America conference looked at scans of 134 adults with k ..read more

The researchers looked at data from more than 6,500 adults, who had undergone blood tests to measure markers of health such as metabolism, inflammation and organ function. They also scored study participants on how well their lifestyles adhered to the Life’s Essential 8, with high scores indicating good heart health.   “We found that higher cardiovascular health is associated with decelerated biological ageing,” said Nour Makarem, the senior author of the study and an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University Irving Medical Center i ..read more

Instructor Rory Bradshaw teaches yoga in prison – here’s how he’s inspiring the most sceptical men to give it a go…..   Prisons are loud, chaotic places, full of constant interruptions such as dogs barking, doors slamming and keys turning in locks.    As a prison yoga teacher, Rory Bradshaw is competing with all of these elements to bring the men in his class to focus inward. “It’s always a challenge in the first few minutes with all the energies they bring into the room,” says the softly-spoken 31-year-old.    But through a combination of asana (physical postures ..read more