Fitness Pudding - Where The Proof Is

Body mass index (BMI) has been getting slammed in the media. For example, this recent article from the LA Times claims that "BMI mislabels 54 million Americans as 'overweight' or 'obese,' study says." Or, as this article highlights, "more than 50 million 'quite healthy' Americans have been mislabeled as obese or overweight thanks to an over-reliance on BMI as a measurement of health..." What is BMI? BMI is simply a measure of body mass. More specifically,...

8 cups per day, right? Well, my esteemed colleague, Dr. Michael Greger, put this question to the test, and I thought I would share his expert insight with you. Enjoy, as I go get me a glass of water. How Many Glasses of Water Should We Drink a Day?    

We have all seen them before, pacing the perimeter of the mall in a tight-laced pair of walking shoes. I have personally been lapped, twice, by a mall walker at Post Oak Mall in College Station, Texas. Mall walking hit a peak of popularity in the 1990s, yet is quickly coming back as a popular choice for physical activity. I am happy to see it's revival, but can mall walking be of any benefit? Mall Walking...

Most health and fitness behaviors are organized around goals. We set goals for ourselves, and then enact behaviors that will get us to that goal – at least that is what we hope. We have decades of research on the positive effects of proper goal setting on health behavior change and maintenance. However, recent lay reports are telling us that goals are now bad for us? Why Setting Goals Could Wreck Your Life Why Setting Goals...

In the Trending section of Fitness Pudding, I posted a story about a British doctor who supposedly put the classic "tapeworm diet" to the test . Well, I also emailed the story to my Dad, Dr. F.C. Faries, who is a veterinarian, professor, and expert in parasitology with the National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense. We had discussed tapeworms over dinner once before, so I looked forward to his response. I thought I...

I just saw another miscontrued web article on ABC/Yahoo! News titled, "Jennifer Aniston Touts 'Yogalosophy' for Stunning Figure". A celebrity favorite, yoga has claims spread all across the Internet that it can shed pounds, tone and lean out muscles (whatever that means). But, what does the research say about it? Benefits of Yoga Before I get too far, yoga is great for a number of reasons...just not for weight loss. Check out some of the potential...

Many of us have incorrect assumptions on how much physical activity it would take to improve or maintain our health. We assume that it will take hours on hours of grueling exercise, sweat, pain and spandex to improve our health. But, are these correct assumptions?  The general recommendation 1  to maintain health and reduce any risk of chronic disease (for healthy adults under age 65) is: Moderate intensity cardio 30 minutes a day, five days a...