exercise

the minimum dose of exercise that science points to changing the health of those over 60 years of age

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In the 1980s, gerontologist Robert N. Butler launched a phrase that has become in a mantra of modern medicine: “if exercise and physical activity could be packaged as a pill it would be the most widely prescribed and beneficial medication for the population.” Forty years later, science has stopped treating that phrase as a metaphor and turned it into a mathematical calculation. The ROI of the force. Until now, we knew that sport was healthy, but data on its direct clinical profitability were lacking. The GENUD research group, led by José Antonio Casajús, published in Experimental Gerontology at the end of 2025 one of the strongest evidence to date. The essay, carried out with 123 people over 80 years oldprescribed a treatment of three weekly supervised exercise sessions for six months. The clinical results were clear: improvements in functional capacity, reduction in frailty and increase in quality of life. But the data that has aroused the interest of health managers is economic. The conclusion here was that while the cost of the intervention was only 164 euros per person, The savings to the system exceeded 1,000 euros. The clinical squat. If exercise is the ideal drug, clinical evidence points to the squat being the most important active ingredient here. Many studies have precisely validated this movement, which can mean the world to some people, not as a gym exercise but as a diagnostic and treatment tool. Biomechanics is key. Why is the squat so important to medicine? First of all because it is an exercise that demands more on the hip extensorsvital for an elderly person to be able to get up from a chair or bed without help. But in addition, it also activates the quadriceps and plantar flexors more. At the metabolic and cardiovascular level, the impact is systemic. The venous compression that occurs during the squat increases venous return and cardiac output, acting as a natural pump that combats orthostatic hypotension. Even in post-stroke patients, fast squats have been shown to activate the injured rectus femoris, correcting asymmetries and improving postural control. How long. You don’t have to work hard, since a recent study showed that a program of just one minute a day, that is, about thirty seconds of squats and thirty seconds of push-ups, is enough. This is something that was seen with prescription by primary care physicians, improving physical performance in patients over 60 years of age with excellent adherence at 24 weeks. Anti-cancer effect. Beyond the effect on adults, important implications of physical exercises in pediatric cancer have also been seen. This was evidenced by Carmen Fiuza-Luces, from the Physical Exercise and Pediatric Cancer group, who directs the “La Aceleradora” project of the Unoentrecienmil Foundation. And contrary to the belief of having “absolute rest” when you have cancer, the evidence shows that exercise during treatment of pediatric solid tumors It achieves what no drug can. For example, it reduces the side effects of chemotherapy, protects the heart from the toxicity of the treatment or prevents atrophy in sick children. The problem is not the drug. The problem with prescribing exercise in consultation is lack of knowledge about the ‘dose’ that should be given. Just as a doctor does not say ‘take an antibiotic’ without a clear duration and frequency, the same thing happens with sports. You can’t say ‘do sports’. In these cases, exercise requires a dose in the form of frequency and duration, the intensity that must be personalized to each patient and, above all, monitoring with adaptation to the patient’s pathology. Looking for the front door. The Health and Sports Working Group of the Collegiate Medical Organization, coordinated by José Ramón Pallás, is pushing for integrate exercise into the National Health System as a therapy equivalent to drugs. The goal is for the “3 sets of 10 squats” recipe to be as official and binding as any blood pressure pill. In this way, science has done the numbers and all that remains is for the administration to make a move. Images | Victor Freitas In Xataka | Neither 10,000 steps a day nor killing yourself in the gym: the “sweet spot” of exercise according to science is 30 minutes

The “sweet spot” of exercise according to science is 30 minutes

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For many years the goal of taking 10,000 steps per day has been the universal health mantrarepeating itself in medical consultations or being predefined in smart watches that monitor physical activity. But this mantra is evolving thanks to the latest evidence we know, since it is not just about how many steps you take, but how they occur. A sweet spot. For this science has identified the ideal when doing physical activity: 30 minutes of brisk walking (walk at a brisk pace) at a constant speed of 5 km/h. This habit is not only more efficient than taking random walks, but Delivers metabolic benefits previously only attributed to high-intensity gym workouts. An important threshold. The fact of having to exceed a speed of 5 km/h It is crucial when walking with the purpose of improving cardiovascular health. And for a walk to be considered “moderate intensity exercise”, it is not enough to move. Science in this case considers that there is a critical threshold that we must keep in mind when recommending doing the exercise: 100 steps per minute. That is what translates into this approximate speed of 5 km/h. And it is not something random, since it has been seen that at this speed there is a significant reduction in the glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) related to diabetes and systolic blood pressure (known as ‘high’). The secret is continuity. One of the most powerful findings from the studies It is precisely in the amount of time we invest in sport. And there is a big difference between continuous 30-minute sessions, in which we only walk, versus accumulated sessions, where we walk for five minutes and then stop continuing. In this case, the continuous 30-minute session is what has been found to be best for reducing insulin sensitivity, improving resistance, hip circumference, and also exercise adherence. And although it is good to move 5 minutes every hour to avoid a sedentary lifestyle, the reality is that it is best to dedicate only half an hour a day continuously. A shield against aging. For the middle-aged population, walking is literally life insurance. Different studies suggest that walking at 5 km/h for 30 minutes a day, for five days a week, helps reduce the risk of stroke (due to lowering blood pressure). But in addition to this, it also combats anxiety and stress, which is undoubtedly one of the big problems we have in today’s society with the stress hormone triggered and doing a lot of damage to our body. With all this, the increase in life expectancy is quite substantial compared to more sedentary people. Without forgetting strength exercises. Although walking is essential, we must not forget our muscles either. It is very important when you reach middle age do not neglect the development and maintenance of muscle, since there are many studies that suggest that it delays biological aging and even offers cognitive benefits such as protection against neurodegenerative diseases. In this way, in order to reach old age in optimal conditions, we must not forget to be mobile to reduce metabolic syndrome, but also to be attentive to our muscles. Images | Martin Dalsgaard In Xataka | The 11 best apps for exercising at home

The new obsession in gyms is also a clue about the future of the exercise

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It is the New Fitness World Fever: competitions that carry exercises and, therefore, very specific training. By comparison, although these exercises settle their bases in traditional training, make crossfit or calisthenics They look outdated or rough. A mixture of unique elements (competition, aesthetics and that philosophy of overcoming and stoicism so fashionable in the latest generation gyms) has become Hyrox In a phenomenon. We analyze Some of your keys. What is it. It is a competition that combines 8 kilometers of career with 8 functional exercises of strength and resistance. The exercises are always the same and include: skiing machine, thrust and drag of sleds, Burpees With long jumps, rowing, weight transport, strides with sandbags and medicinal ball throw. That is, a devastating mixture (but with exercises available to anyone) that combines strength, resistance and general athletic capacity. Worldwide success. Born in 2017 in Germany, in recent years he has experienced a great impulse (globally, more than 650,000 athletes train for competitions, and in 2025 more than 80 global careers are held in more than 30 countries and 85 cities). It currently has a wide margin of future growth: for example, it has just reached areas such as Canada, Australia and the Middle East, and the World Championships of discipline. Spain wants Hyrox. Spain is one of its largest areas of growth. The last edition, in Bilbao, congregated More than 8,000 competitors. In Malaga 2025 11,000 athletes from 40 countries participated, while in Hyrox Barcelona 2025 13,000 athletes were registered and 10,000 finished. In the 2024-2025 season, the discipline exceeded the 40,000 athletes registered in Spainconsolidating the country as one of the European referents in this discipline. The number of participants has grown by 1,900% since the first major national event in 2021, when 2,000 athletes were recorded. The secret of his fame. Why do you like a competition so much that is essentially a traditional fitness vitamin version? His hybrid nature It has a lot to do: the demanding of the competitions forces athletes to prepare not only force, with lifting and movements of large weights, but also resistance, with those eight kilometers that must be traveled between evidence. That makes it a Very complete and varied trainingand where no discipline should not be put aside. And also, without great technical demands: everyone can push a sled. On the other hand, the competition allows group or couples categories, which makes it more affordable. Class pride. Hyrox is one Registered trademarklike so many others associated with fitness. From the very Crossfit itself, which is not a generic word but a brand associated with official competitions and training, the popular Zumba, which has unleashed a real plague of imitators (in the end, it is the old man Gym-Jazz eighties in steroids). All this going through competitions that were ahead of Hyrox, such as Spartan Race or Ironman, and training systems such as F45 Training or Orangetheory Fitness. What does all this mean? That to train and compete in Hyrox you have to pay the fee that Hyrox architects decide to pay. This leads to official gyms and competitions of considerable price (the minimum cost of a career is usually around 70 euros), and by the hand, to the transformation of training into a piece of exhibition of good economic health that distance to Hyrox of formats (not registered) such as calistenia, which can be trained outdoors. Hyrox not only allows to show off a healthy way of life but also a well oxygenated portfolio. Training as Lifestyle. Linked to this last aspect, we have sport as an exhibition mode of a way of life, also vent, to which Hyrox international competitions help, in countries like Berlin or Rome. A circumstance that allows “healthy tourism”: travel to compete, and without neglecting what affirms Álvaro Taracena, CEO of the brand in Spain: “Nobody here looks at you badly for lifting less weight (…) to do something more dynamic, in the end you make friends with whom take“ Hyrox for Influencers. At a time when absolutely everything has to be Instagrameable To succeed, Hyrox has the elements to do so: It is completely training gamified and aimed at a specific objective (compete and improve brands in competitions, no abstractions such as “health”). His name resulton makes him Easy to google and labeland generates a feeling of belonging to a group. And lo Accessible competitions (With team modalities, without time limits) open the doors to anyone looking for more than sweating two days a week without a clear goal. As a business studied to the millimeter, of course, it is one of the elderly that has seen modern fitness Header | Hyrox In Xataka | Marathons are so extreme that our brain makes drastic decisions, how to consume itself

There are countries that do not exercise as they should, and this map exposes the most sedentary

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Change Life habits and putting in shape is one of the most common purposes when the year begins. So much that there are studies that have proposed to analyze How to meet that goal Without discouraging ourselves because, for many people, putting on form implies “from zero”. The reason is that many do not perform the physical activity necessary to remain in good shape, which implies a risk for both physical and mental health. And on this map of Visual Capitalist We can see what are those countries in which people do not do the necessary exercise. The recommendation. The World Health Organization recommends that adults dedicate 150 minutes a week, at least, aerobic physical intensity activities. This includes walking -which is increasingly uncovered as A highly recommended exercise-, but also swim, jog or ride a bike. And these 150 weekly minutes must be complemented with 75 minutes of activities such as peso lifting for Strengthen both muscles and joints. WHO also says that any physical activity is better than any. The exercise not only keeps us healthier, but also contributes to a Best Mental Healtha better humor and a better resistance to diseases. The problem is that, as a study published in The Lancet Global Health It has demonstrated, much of the population does not move as much as it should. The study. The article explores and collects the data related to the physical activity reported by adults in different population surveys. Through the analysis of 507 surveys in 163 countries with a total of 5.7 million participants, researchers have been able to estimate the prevalence of insufficient physical activity between 2000 and 2022. The data. They are not good. According to their interpretations, in 2022, 31.3% of people worldwide performed insufficient physical activity, not reaching those minimal recommendations of WHO. In 2010, that figure was 26.4% and in 2000 it stood at 23.4%. We see, therefore, a bullish trend, but also a significant increase between the last decade and the previous one. By countries. The map prepared by Visual Capitalist collects this data and reinterprets the maps published in the study itself. In some cases, these data are devastating. In much of the American continent, two thirds of the population do not meet those guidelines marked by WHO. There are exceptions like Mexico, but the population is also close to that inactivity figure. In Europe, the situation is quite diverse. Spain has 22%of the population that performs insufficient physical activity, France 23%, Germany 12%, Austria 20%and Belgium 25%. However, there are cases such as Poland with 35% inactivity, Italy with a striking 40% and Portugal with 52%. Dramas. They are striking data, but together, the worst part is taken by the Middle East and part of Asia. United Arab Emirates is the worst country in this regard, according to the analysis, with 66% of its population performing insufficient physical activity. Kuwait is not very far with 63% and Lebanon stays at 59%. It is a trend in the area, with Qatar and its 54% inactivity, or Iraq and Saudi Arabia with 52%. Looking at Asia, South Korea is not much better, with 58% of the population that does not move what should, 52% of the Japanese are also more sedentary of the account and we see that India has an index of 49%. Japan’s case is curious, since it is a country that is proud of its longevity and of the exercise programs for the elderly. More and less aligned countries with the objectives for 2030. The more azul, the better Social inequalities. Speaking of age, it is something that also plays a role in these data. In this period of analysis, insufficient physical activity increased between those over 60, regardless of the sixth and the region to which they belong. But we also see many countries with light colors that represent that they are doing the recommended activity, but as we used to have meme in Xataka, it has a trick. Some of them are in Europe as Finland (10%), Netherlands (9%) and Sweden (8%), among others, but the vast majority are in the Sub -Saharan Africa area. And it is not that they want to train than the rest of the world, but that it is a very active population due to economic reasons since a greater proportion of population in poorest countries is used in tasks such as agriculture or manual works, something that counts for movement statistics. Because these social inequalities, in the end, are represented in a very varied arc of situations, and in the study itself we can see that the activity index barely varies between people with low income, but that when life is somewhat more accommodated, Sedentary lifestyle also increases. And the conclusion of the study is that, in the end, almost a third of adults around the world do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity and it would be a good idea that policies were strengthened to foster that exercise. In Xataka | The human being is not made to run, but to rest. At least according to a Harvard teacher

Of course, better combine it with exercise

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Intermittent fasting has become a very popular strategy among those who seek to lose weight or, at least, keep their weight under control. However, as with most diets, clearly establish their effectiveness It is often difficult Due to the complexity of our food, our metabolism and, in general, of our own body. New tests. Now a study has contributed New tests of the efficacy of intermittent fasting. Tests that, yes, are limited to the context in which this diet is combined with regular exercise. The team studied a diet with a meal window limited at eight hours (inversely, 16 hours of fast) and observed that in this way a loss of “small but significant” fat was possible. All this without sacrificing muscle mass, a detail highlighted by the team. “We observed that (a greater reduction of fat was achieved) and a lower percentage of body mass over time, when healthy adults followed (a regime) both of exercise and temporarily restricted dietcompared to those who only exercised for at least four weeks ”, explained in a press release Nadeja Wijayatunga, co -author of the study. 15 studies. In its analysis, the team carried out a systematic review of scientific literature that studied the impacts of this type of interventions. Thus, 15 recent works found in which the combined effect of intermittent fasting and exercise on our weight was analyzed. From the results described in these studies, the team carried out a meta -analysis, that is, a quantitative study to estimate an average effect. In its study study, the team observed a statistically significant change, a loss of body mass that was not associated with a loss of muscle mass. The analysis also pointed out that variables such as age, body mass index, or the type of exercise with which the diet was accompanied, among other factors, did not affect this result. The details of this work were published In an article In the magazine International Journal of Obesity. Easier than counting calories. Perhaps because it is easier to tell the hours than to tell the calories, the intermittent fast has become the favorite option of many. But sometimes the easy thing is not the most effective and we already know at this point that miracle diets do not exist. That is why putting the virtues and limits of this type of strategies to the test. It should be noted that there are various forms of intermittent fasting, depending on the frequency with which we fast and the time fraction of the day we dedicate to fasting and food. The success or failure of these strategies can also depend on other factors such as having a varied diet in the hours we dedicate to food and even factors that might seem irrelevant like our dream. In Xataka | From the stomach to the brain, intermittent fasting affects unsuspected forms to our body Image | The5th

South Korea has done an exercise with its F-16. They have mistakenly bombard a city near the border with the north

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The F-16 They are possibly one of the most popular fighters. These are monomotor combat airplanes developed by the American General Dynamics that went from being listed as “light hunting” to evolve to versatile. Inside, one of the most common air weapons on the planet: the pump without guide Mark 82. Up to eight of them have fallen near the border with North Korea by error. The incident. Two KF-16 fighters of the South Korean Air Force (Rokaf) They accidentally launched eight bombs MK-82 on a village/city in the Nogok area, on the outskirts from Pocheonabout 40 kilometers from Seoul and no less than 32 kilometers from the border with North Korea. Because? The error occurred shortly after 10 am during a real fire exercise in preparation for joint maneuvers with the United States. As a result, 15 people were injuredtwo of them in serious condition, and dozens of residents were evacuated, in addition to destroying, among other things, a church. The causes and the answer. The first investigations indicate that the pilot of one of the planes incorrectly introduced coordinates of the objective, causing the fall of the pumps in an inhabited area. However, it is not yet clear why the second plane also launched its explosive load. The South Korean Air Force has suspended all exercises of real fire to clarify the facts and have formed an emergency committee to investigate what happened. In An official statementthe authorities expressed their apologies and have promised assistance to those affected. Damage and testimonies. The explosions caused severe damage to infrastructure local, including homes, trucks and, as we said, a church. The impact of the pumps was strong enough to shake a center for people over more than half a kilometer from the place. Among the testimonies collected by local media, residents have described chaos scenes, with smoke rising to heaven, broken pipes and people trapped in vehicles. A witness reported that some houses They were “games in half” and that several people were injured inside a car en route to a construction work. Impact on joint safety and maneuvers. In addition, the incident occurs at a time of High voltage in the Korean Peninsulawith South Korea, the United States and Japan concerned with the growing military alliance Between North Korea and Russia. Seoul has repeatedly denounced that Pyongyang has sent soldiers to fight in Ukraine, and South Korean intelligence sources say that recently More North Korean They were deployed in the Russian city of Kursk. Plus: accidental bombardment has happened a few days before the start of the joint exercises called Freedom Shield, scheduled to start next Monday (from March 10 to 20). Although the South Korean authorities have ensured that the incident will not affect the development of these maneuvers, the security of real fire exercises has been, in question.

Violeta resumes exercise with this gentle and simple routine

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Violeta Mangriñanwho, in front of a combined plate of vegetables with meat and cooked potatoes, explained a few days ago on social networks that He had decided to return to good habits after Christmashas also recently shared the gentle and simple exercise routine with which he has regained the motivation to return to the gym after a time without setting foot in it. The content creator has launched a positive message regarding your body and it has been shown prouder of him than ever. © violet Violeta’s gentle exercise routine “I can be quite grateful to my body. Having been a mom twice and practically not doing sports since I gave birth to the second one, I’m not so bad. Well toned arms because I lift two 25-pound girls every day. There is something good about carrying them.” This is the message that Violeta has written on social media with a video mode selfie in which we see her approach the mirror from the training center of physiotherapist and former elite swimmer Crys Dyaz. © violet Next, The Valencian has published the exercises she did in her first training session of 2025. We have contacted Álvaro Díaz Carazo, CEO of Dicafit, a personal training center in the mountains of Madrid about to expand, which bases its success on the personalized treatment of clients, called “dicathletes”, even when they They train freely in the engine room. The expert has explained to us that Violeta’s is an “achievement of interval exercises of moderate intensity that aim to stimulate, above all, the stabilizers of the coregluteus medius and maximus and some dorsal, as well as improving cardiovascular capacity“. In the following video you can see how Violeta performs the exercises. To finish, with the help of Álvaro, we will tell you the best way to carry them out and why it is interesting to do them. How are Violeta’s exercises done and why are they interesting? ‘Wall ball shots’, or one of its most used variables known as ‘bombazos’ According to Álvaro Díaz, this exercise is fantastic for start a focused workout on the glutes and the coresince it guarantees a great recruitment of fibers, due to the stress obtained both by the explosiveness of the “bombazo” gesture and by that offered by the mini band or elastic bandwhich is an incredibly efficient tool for a multitude of exercises. Lateral walk with band or ‘band lateral walks’ “This exercise further encourages the activation of the gluteus medius and high fascia tensors,” says Álvaro. He tells us that, as a complement to subsequent exercises, it becomes a essential for the objective of adding fatigue to the gluteus medius. The expert recommends doing three sets of 40 repetitions. Dumbbell Row Combo with Isometric Hip Extension and Glute Kick For Álvaro, this is a combination of exercises designed to optimize the reaction of the cross chains and enhance the association of the glutes with traction exercises. He recommends doing three sets per exercise at about 10-12 repetitions per set. He assures that, thus, we would be talking about a hard workout for both the nervous system and the muscles involved. Isometric chair with the back against the wall and the legs bent at 90º In this exercise you work so much ankle, like knee and hip. Furthermore, the band promotes abduction of the hips and, according to our expert, this way we achieve an interesting interval stimulus between one series of exercises and another. As you know, interval training They raise heart rate and help us increase caloric expenditure. This is one of the reasons why they have become so fashionable. ‘Hip thrust’ combined with plyometric ball push and isometric bridge with bands This is a pelvic-thoracic dissociation exercise, which promotes neutrality of the core before plyometric pushing gestures. That dissociation of the pelvis and thorax There is also a lot of work in disciplines such as yoga because it helps a lot to strengthen all the internal muscles. ‘Side plank’ Álvaro reminds us that this It is the star exercise for the gluteus medius according to a study where eight unilateral exercises focused on the gluteus were compared. We are talking about a side plank. How many seconds can you resist without losing technique? Are you able to do it with your top leg up without losing your balance? Violeta’s routine ends with traditional exercises such as: the barbell squatwhich, for Álvaro, is the unforgivable queen of the lower body; a lunge laterwhich is an exercise that, according to the expert, is one of the most powerful to work quadriceps; and deadlifts combined with lateral movements. This, according to Álvaro, is a bilateral exercise of high demand for the posterior chain both lower and upper body. One of the most complete! Violeta’s It is an ideal routine to play various exercises and evaluate how we are doing at a technical level.. It is precisely that ability to correctly execute each exercise that Violeta says she wants to work on now. Remember that this is essential to prevent the risk of injury so always It will be advisable that, especially if you haven’t played sports for a while, you put yourself in the hands of professionals.

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