Study finds people exercise more when they get an Apple Watch free if they meet daily physical activity goals rather than having to buy one, writes Hanna Ziady

They care more about openness and empathy than independence and competitiveness

Fitness trend makes stretching the whole point

"Three Identical Strangers" explores the strange tale of triplets who found each other at age 19. The terrific new documentary "Three Identical Strangers" tells the remarkable tale of triplets separated in infancy who met for the first time at age 19, in 1980. Their matching faces, mannerisms, behaviors, and quirks reverberate throughout the film, astonishing because the triplets were raised in economically diverse families. The film pays less attention to what makes them different. Identical Twins That Differ Markedly in Physical Fitness Another intriguing case of nature vs nurture in identicals is published in the new issue of The European Journal of Applied Physiology. Katherine Bathgate, James R. Bagley, and Andrew J. Galpin and their colleagues, from a trio of California colleges, compared 52-year-old identical twins who differ greatly in their physical fitness level. "TT" is a runner and triathlete, "UT" a sedentary truck driver. Because they share all their genes, differences in

Currently, less than half of youth meet the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommendation of at least 60 minutes of daily vigorous to moderate-intensity physical activity, meaning that today, kids exercise less. Kids’ health risks are increased by a lack of physical activity, which can also jeopardize their well-being throughout their lives. Physical activity is also critical to kids’ cognitive development and academic success. The school environment is key in encouraging and providing opportunities for kids to be active. In this light, the IOM was asked to examine the status of physical activity and physical education efforts in schools, how physical activity and fitness affect health outcomes, and what can be done to help schools get kids to become more active—ultimately improving kids’ health.

Children around the world are not moving enough to maintain healthy growth and development, according to a new global report. The report by the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance (AHKGA) compared 49 countries from six continents to assess global trends in childhood physical activity in developed and developing nations, resulting in the 'Global Matrix 3.0' comparison of grades.

It's good to get hot.

Physical activity is generally accepted to promote good health. However, it is well documented that the wrong type of physical activity can be bad for health in both occupational and leisure contexts. For example, too much mechanical force can lead to musculoskeletal injury,1 too frequent activity can lead to fatigue2 and too prolonged standing can lead to varicose veins.3 Similarly, too little force can lead to bone and muscle loss, too infrequent moderate/vigorous physical activity can lead to cardiorespiratory deconditioning and too little standing or walking can lead to impaired cardiometabolic health.4 Therefore, we argue that the benefits of physical activity, both at work and leisure, can only be seen when the various aspects of physical activity are ‘just right.’ When being ‘just right,’ activity promotes physical capacity and health, when being ‘not right,’ it impairs health. We coin this ‘just right’ paradigm, the ‘Goldilocks Principle.’ In the Goldilocks fairy tale, a child comes across a house in the woods belonging to a family of bears. She tried the porridge, chairs and beds; some were too hot/large/hard, some too cold/small/soft, but some were ‘just right.’ In exercise and sports, the Goldilocks Principle of …

From 4 to 7 April 2016, 24 researchers from 8 countries and from a variety of academic disciplines gathered in Snekkersten, Denmark, to reach evidence-based consensus about physical activity in children and youth, that is, individuals between 6 and 18 years. Physical activity is an overarching term that consists of many structured and unstructured forms within school and out-of-school-time contexts, including organised sport, physical education, outdoor recreation, motor skill development programmes, recess, and active transportation such as biking and walking. This consensus statement presents the accord on the effects of physical activity on children's and youth's fitness, health, cognitive functioning, engagement, motivation, psychological well-being and social inclusion, as well as presenting educational and physical activity implementation strategies. The consensus was obtained through an iterative process that began with presentation of the state-of-the art in each domain followed by plenary and group discussions. Ultimately, Consensus Conference participants reached agreement on the 21-item consensus statement.

This study examined associations between students’ physical fitness and physical activity (PA), as well as what specific physical fitness components were more significant correlates to being physically active in different settings for boys and girls. A total of 265 fifth-grade students with an average age of 11 voluntarily participated in this study. The students’ physical fitness was assessed using four FitnessGram tests, including Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER), curl-up, push-up, and trunk lift tests. The students’ daily PA was assessed in various settings using a daily PA log for 7 days. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics, univariate analyses, and multiple R-squared liner regression methods. Performance on the four physical fitness tests was significantly associated with the PA minutes spent in physical education (PE) class and recess for the total sample and for girls, but not for boys. Performance on the four fitness tests was significantly linked to participation in sports/dances outside school and the total weekly PA minutes for the total sample, boys, and girls. Further, boys and girls who were the most physically fit spent significantly more time engaging in sports/dances and had greater total weekly PA than boys and girls who were not physically fit. In addition, the physically fit girls were more physically active in recess than girls who were not physically fit. Overall, students’ performance on the four physical fitness tests was significantly associated with them being physically active during PE and in recess and engaging in sports/dances, as well as with their total weekly PA minutes, but not with their participation in non-organized physical play outside school. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03015337 , registered date: 1/09/2017, as “retrospectively registered”