Mystery Disease Claiming Lives in Cambodia
Health workers are trying to identify a mysterious disease that's killed 61 children in Cambodia over the past three months. It's unclear whether the condition is a mixture of known diseases or something new, the World Health Organization and Cambodian Ministry of Health said in a joint statement Wednesday. Infected kids suffer from a high fever, severe respiratory problems, and in some cases, neurological symptoms. The illness appears to be striking children under 7 years old. Victims come from more than half the country's provinces, WHO officials said. A review of 57 cases found that 46 of the children died within 24 hours of hospital admission, while the others died within three days. Most of the cases come from the southern part of the country, but there haven't been signs of clustering. "The cause of the disease may not be new, but the scale at which it is occurring has not been observed in recent years," WHO officials told the Wall Street Journal. "Possible causes of the disease are being considered but definite identification may take some time."
- Why a Man Let 2,000 Malaria-Infected Mosquitoes Bite Him
- 10 Ways Global Warming Could Hurt Your Health
Why Try Interval Training Workouts? Quick Results
If you're looking to rev up your fitness routine, interval training may be your ticket. You can get more out of that spin class, run workout, or lap swim by alternating short bouts of high-intensity exercise (yes, you have to work hard!) followed by a few minutes or seconds of rest. By doing this, you stress out your cardiovascular system and build up lactic acid in the musclesâ€"which boosts body fuel, strength, and staminaâ€"while then letting yourself recover and prepare for the next tough interval.
The trend toward interval exercise to gain cardiovascular benefits isn't new for seasoned athletes, but the technique is gaining popularity among general fitness buffs looking for big gains in a short amount of time. And for good reason.Â
Evidence shows that with high-intensity interval training, participants can increase their maximum aerobic capacityâ€"how well their body uses oxygen for energy at their greatest heart rateâ€"higher than those who participate in a continuous exercise program, such as going for more than a 20-minute run, bike, or swim at a steady, moderate pace. The more oxygen your body can convert to energy, the stronger and faster you become. As your body adapts to the stress of interval training, your fitness level improves along with your muscle function.Â
But before taking your routine up a notch and risking injury, it's crucial to build a base fitness level first, notes Ed Coyle, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin. For healthy people, this means typically doing 40 minutes of exercise three to four times a week for eight weeks, gradually working up to a higher heart rate level (220 minus your age is the predicted maximum heart rate, beats per minute). [Read more: Why Try Interval Training Workouts? Quick Results]Â
Bikes for Aspiring CyclistsÂ
Learning to ride a bike is a childhood milestone. And there's good reason to stick with two wheels as we grow up. For one thing, it makes financial sense: With $4-a-gallon gas in some cities, commuting by bike is a cheaper option. Every type of bike is available at different price points, making it affordable for most riders. Prices range from $200 into the thousands, with average costs hovering around $500.Â
Biking is as good for your body as it is your wallet: In a study published in 2010 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, for example, researchers found that women who biked for as few as five minutes a day gained less weight than those who didn't ride. Other studies suggest that cyclists live about two years longer than non-bikers, and take 15 percent fewer sick days. And overall, research indicates that biking is good for the heart and helps stave off obesity, arthritis, and depression. (Expect to burn about 500 calories per hour, depending on how much you weigh, when moving at a moderate clip.) "The biggest thing is the fun factor," says cycling enthusiast Selene Yeager, author of Ride Your Way Lean: The Ultimate Plan for Burning Fat and Getting Fit on a Bike. "It's one of the closest feelings you can get to flyingâ€"it brings back the memory of your youth, it's a beautiful way to see places, and it's a relaxing form of exercise."Â
Once you decide to ride, the next step is weighing different types of bikes against each other and selecting the best fit. Choices include:Â
Road bikes. These light-weight bikes have skinny tires and drop handlebars that offer multiple options for hand position. They're ideal for riding long distances on paved or graded surfaces. They're built for speed, too, Yeager says. (Road bikes are used in the Tour de France race, for example.) [Read more: Bikes for Aspiring Cyclists]Â
Angela Haupt is a health reporter for U.S. News World Report. You can follow her on Twitter or reach her at ahaupt@usnews.com.Â
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar