Fitness

For teenage boys, active commuting (such as walking or biking to school) was associated with lower levels of central body fat by age 18.

PLOS ONE

A single session of fast-paced dynamic stretching before running was found to increase the amount of time, and thus distance, that a small sample of track athletes were able to run.

The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

Fitness

Obesity was associated with slightly lower scores in measures of well-being in people who reported having limited self-control, but not in people who reported higher levels of self-control.

Health Economics

Standing instead of sitting was not associated with greater calorie expenditure, suggesting standing desks may not be effective at burning more calories.

In one study, people who wore devices that tracked their physical activity didn't lose as much weight as people who tracked their physical activity themselves.

In a sample of people using an online weight management system, more engagement with the social aspects of the program (e.g. commenting on forums or messaging other users) was associated with greater weight loss.

People in activity-friendly neighborhoods (those with more pedestrian-accessible intersections, public transit stops, and public parks nearby), tend to get more exercise.

Compared to a group who got pamphlets about weight loss, using a smart-phone app designed to help with weight-loss that offered health interventions and monitored participants did not lead to more weight loss over a two year time span, even for those who received personalized coaching.

Greater self-reported intake of fruits and vegetables (particularly high-fiber, low-carbohydrate vegetables) was associated with long-term weight loss and management.

PLOS Medicine

Arthroscopic knee surgeries have been shown to be no more effective than a fake (or so called Sham) surgery for treating patients with osteoarthritis.