FITNESS

New Study Shows Treadmills Work Best for Burning Fat
Between the stairsteppers, stationary cycles, cross-country ski simulators and the dozens of other pieces of cardio equipment jamming today’s typical gym, trying to figure out which of these machines is best for burning fat can be a real guessing game. Fortunately, there are exercise scientists like Dr. Niall Moyna who actually test this sort of thing. Recently Dr. Moyna and colleagues from the Center for Sport Science and Health in Dublin, Ireland, pit the popular cardio machines against one another in a battle for fat-burning supremacy. And as it is with so many things, it seems basics are best for burning fat, as well. Of all the latest, greatest newfangled cardio contraptions, the time-honoredtreadmill came out on top. Subjects performed three exercise tests at selected intensities corresponding to ratings of perceived exertion (RPE): fairly light, somewhat hard and hard. Energy expenditure (calories burned) at each RPE was highest on the treadmill forall subjects. Energy expenditure at all RPEs was lowest on the stationary bike. “Our results indicated that there are large differences in energy expenditure between exercise machines,” the researchers write. “Subjects can expend more calories at the same RPE during treadmill exercise, for example, than during exercise with other devices.” And remember, more calories burned equals more fat lost. Exercise Increases Brain Power, New Study Suggests A team of researchers at the University ofIllinois in Urbana-Champaign has just given a new significance to the ancient Greek ideal mens sana in corpore sano. Dr. Chuck Hillman and colleagues recently reported at the annual meeting of the Society of Psychophysiological Research in Montreal, Canada, that it’s true —creating a strong, healthy body throughexercise can help lead directly to a strong,healthy mind. In the study, the researchers, using anelectroencephalogram (EEG), measured the thinking ability of 20 men and women asked to perform a computer test before and 30 minutes following intense treadmill running. According to Dr. Hillman, exercising increased the speed of the decision-making process by an average of 35 milliseconds — quite a significant improvement as far as brain activity goes, he says. What’s more, study participants answered test questions more accurately after exercise than they did when they had not exercised. More Sharing ServicesShare on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on print	New Study Reveals the Best Exercise for Toning Your Stomach Using an electromyograph (EMG) machine, researchers at San Diego State University  recently measured abdominal muscle  activity of subjects asked to perform 13 types of ab exercises. The traditional  crunch was used as the benchmark for the ratings. Surprisingly, the top-rated stomach strengthener, according to the researchers, was the bicycle maneuver, which created almost 250 percent  more muscle activity in the rectus abdominus muscles — the six-pack set — than a crunch did. To  do it, lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. Put your hands beside your head. Bring your knees up to about a 45-degree angle and slowly go through a bicycle pedal motion. Touch your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee. Study: Lift Your Spirits with Exercise If you’re feeling down in the dumps, hit the gym. It’s the best way to  perk yourself up, according to a growing number of studies. In fact,  researchers are now saying vigorous exercise may be just as effective —  if not more so — than such “mood-boosting” drugs as Prozac for fighting  depression. The latest evidence that exercise can be a powerful natural antidepressant  comes from a German study of people with clinical depression.  Dr.  Fernando Dimeo and colleagues at Freie University in Berlin found that  as little as a half-hour of cardiovascular exercise improved the patients’  symptoms — faster, in fact, than antidepressant drugs typically do. The study, which is presented in the  British Journal of Sports Medicine, reports that half the patients had improved significantly. “Our results indicate that, in selected patients with major depression,  aerobic training can produce a substantial improvement in symptoms  in a short time,” the researchers write. This is just one study in a  recent flurry of research suggesting  exercise to be the best way to beat depression. Another recent study from  Duke University also found  physical activity to be more effective at combating depression  than prescribed medication. Hopefully, this new wave of  research will change the way  some depressed patients are  treated — especially those  who are not interested in taking  antidepressants, which oftentimes carry unwanted  side effects.