Not in the mood to move? According to a new study, your lack of enthusiasm for exercise could be a result of your genes. Researchers led by J. Timothy Lightfoot, PhD, a kinesiologist at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, had previously reported the discovery of six gene locations that control physical activity in mice. Now, the scientists have discovered 17 other areas that interact with each other and affect the distance, duration, and speed the mice voluntarily run. The researchers aren’t quite sure how these genes impact the desire to exercise, but they suspect an influence on brain chemistry. Before you resign yourself to life as a couch potato, know that studies haven’t yet been conducted in humans. And even if it is harder for you to feel the urge to exercise, you shouldn’t stop trying.
Source: Journal of Heredity, June 2008

Working for It

For women who have lost and want to keep off the pounds, even more exercise than is currently recommended for the general population may be necessary. Results of a new study show that to sustain a weight loss of 10 percent of body weight or more, women needed to expend 1,800 kilocalories of activity (or 275 minutes) per week—that’s 55 minutes of exercise a day for 5 days a week. Current recommendations only call for 30 minutes of moderate activity 5 days a week. With only about a third of the women in the study maintaining 10 percent or greater weight loss for 2 years, researchers note that high levels of activity, as well as adherence to a recommended diet, are needed.
Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, July 28, 2008

Walking for Independence

Need another reason to lace up your walking shoes? Researchers at the University of Georgia found that older adults who walked for exercise significantly reduced their risk of disability and upped their chances of maintaining physical independence. The small study followed 26 adults (predominantly women) age 60 and older for four months as they took part in either a walking program or a nutrition education program. The walking group met three times a week for what began as a 10-minute session; by the study’s halfway point, they were walking for 40 minutes and doing balance and flexibility exercises. The walkers increased their physical function (a measure of how well they can perform everyday tasks like carrying groceries or taking off a jacket) by 25 percent; those in the nutrition education group, who met biweekly (and didn’t take part in the walking program), decreased their physical function by 8.3 percent. The walkers also increased their peak aerobic capacity—a measure of cardiovascular fitness and health—by nearly 19 percent, while those in the nutritional program saw that capacity decrease by 9 percent. According to the researchers, close to 90 percent of the adults in the walking group stuck with the program, proving that walking isn’t just beneficial—it’s also easy to do.
Source: Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, April 2008