Harvard Health Letter articles from September 2008

Harvard Health Letter archives from September 2008

Editor's note.(Editorial)
September 1, 2008... Editor's note Dear Readers, We're devoting this issue of the Health Letter to the topic of physical activity. A "themed" issue on a single subject is a first for us. But very few things have as profound an effect on health as exercise...

Why we should exercise - and why we don't.
September 1, 2008... Why we should exercise * and why we don't If the benefits of physical activity are legion, so are the reasons for avoiding it. We've got suggestions for adding some to your day. You already know that exercise is good for you. What you...

Can a gadget get you going?
September 1, 2008... Can a gadget get you going? Testing devices that measure how active you are. Most of us need some added motivation to exercise, and gadgets that tell us how well we're doing can perhaps supply it. We had Christine Junge, an associate...

Meet the METs.(metabolic equivalents)(Report)
September 1, 2008... Meet the METs Most of us think of exercise as burning up calories. But exercise researchers think in metabolic equivalents, or METs. A single MET is the amount of energy you expend when you're sitting quietly. An activity is rated at 2...

Good for the mind, but how about the body?
September 1, 2008... Good for the mind, but how about the body? Yoga, known for its mental benefits, has substantial fitness benefits, too. From an esoteric, Eastern discipline to a class in every neighborhood: since the late 1980s, yoga has become a...

The gender divide.(Report)
September 1, 2008... The gender divide The anterior cruciate ligament may be an Achilles' heel for younger female athletes, but exercise is protective against several conditions that disproportionately affect women. Most studies show that men and women...

Let's talk to an expert.(Interview)
September 1, 2008... Let's talk to an expert Dr. I-Min Lee is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an expert on the epidemiology of physical activity and health. Dr. Lee served on the federal government's Physical Activity...