PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

 FIGHTING CANCER WITH A 30-MINUTE WORKOUT Recent research from Edith Cowan University highlights the powerful impact that just one session of vigorous exercise can have on the body’s fight against cancer. According to the findings, a single round of resistance training or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can prompt your muscles to release myokines—proteins shown to reduce cancer cell growth by as much as 20 to 30 percent. Francesco Bettariga, the PhD student who led the study, found that both resistance and HIIT workouts boosted myokine levels in breast cancer survivors. This matters because myokines are thought to play a key role in slowing cancer proliferation. The research measured these proteins before, right after, and 30 minutes following a single workout, and the results were precise: exercise triggered a surge in anti-cancer proteins even in those who had undergone cancer treatment. Exercise isn’t just about fighting cancer in the moment. The study also examined how ...

CUTTING SUGAR DOES NOT DIMINISH DESIRE If you’ve ever tried to ditch sweets to “reset” your cravings, you might want to rethink that strategy. New research shows that eating more or less sweet-tasting foods doesn’t actually change how much you like sweetness—or affect your weight or how much you eat overall. A rigorous six-month randomized trial, presented at NUTRITION 2025 by scientists from Wageningen University, assigned 180 adults to diets with varying levels of sweetness: high, low, or intermediate. The researchers provided about half of each participant’s meals and drinks—ranging from jam and milk chocolate to salted popcorn and sparkling water—so they could carefully control the amount of sweetness people were exposed to. The big surprise? No matter how much (or little) sweet food people ate, their preference for sweet flavors stayed the same. Body weight, energy intake, and health markers, such as blood sugar and cholesterol, didn’t budge either. Even after the study, participa...

 NOT ALL WORKOUTS ARE EQUAL TO YOUR MIND Not all workouts are created equal when it comes to your mind. Research from the University of Georgia shows that why, where, and how you move matter just as much—if not more—than how many calories you burn. Moving your body is excellent, but if your only physical activity is mowing the lawn or running errands, you might not get the same mental health benefits as someone who's moving for fun, social connection, or pure enjoyment. Dr. Patrick O'Connor, a professor involved in the study, points out that most exercise science focuses on time spent or calories burned, not on whether those minutes are enjoyable. But context changes everything. You're playing soccer with friends, score the winning goal, and you’ll feel amazing. Miss the shot and get blamed? Not so much. Identical movements, totally different feelings. Broad studies show that people who make time for leisure activities like a casual run, a dance class, or a group bike ride ...

FRENCH FRIES, POTATOES, AND DIABETES RISKS You might want to think twice before grabbing that next handful of French fries. According to new research in The BMJ, eating fries just three times a week could bump up your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 20%. That’s a big jump—and it’s not the kind of statistic you can brush off as a one-off. What’s interesting, though, is that potatoes cooked in other ways—like boiled, baked, or mashed—didn’t pose the same risk. This wasn’t a small study, either. Over nearly four decades, researchers followed more than 205,000 American health professionals who started out healthy (no diabetes, no heart disease, no cancer). By the end, more than 22,000 had developed type 2 diabetes. When the researchers dug into the details, they found that potatoes in general only gave a slight nudge to diabetes risk (about 5%). But French fries? That’s where the numbers shot up. It gets better (or worse, depending on how much you love fries): swapping out potatoes f...

YOGA: POWERING YOU TO  BETTER HEALTH Yoga isn’t only about twisting yourself into a pretzel or chasing that perfect Instagram pose. It’s a practice that’s been around for thousands of years—long before yoga pants were a thing. The roots of yoga trace back to ancient India, with references in texts like the Rig Veda dating back to 1500 BCE. Over the centuries, yoga evolved from a spiritual discipline focused on meditation and self-control into the wide-ranging practice it is today, blending movement, breathwork, and mindfulness. What makes yoga stand out is its impact on both body and mind, often in ways you might not expect. Sure, yoga is famous for making you more flexible and strong—there’s plenty of research showing those benefits, along with improvements in heart health and muscle tone. But the real magic of yoga is how it teaches you to slow down, breathe deeply, and feel better from the inside out. Let’s talk about stress. People have turned to yoga for centuries to find calm...

FOOD CRAVINGS: HOW TO OUTSMART THEM   Cravings have a way of sneaking up on even the most determined dieters. It starts easy enough: salads, lean proteins, maybe a protein shake or two. But after a week or so, those forbidden foods—cookies, fries, cake—start whispering your name a little louder each day. Most popular diet plans insist you steer clear of these temptations entirely, as if a single bite spells failure. But what if that all-or-nothing mindset is actually making your cravings—and your diet—harder to manage? Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have some refreshing news for anyone exhausted by the endless tug-of-war with willpower. Their recent study suggests you don’t banish your favorite treats to lose weight. In fact, occasionally including small portions of those craved for as part of a balanced meal could help you shed pounds and keep them off—without the wild swings of deprivation and bingeing. Here's how it worked: The study followed 30 adult...

  NATURAL DEPRESSION REMEDIES: WHAT WORKS If you’ve ever wandered the supplement aisle hoping for a little extra help with depression, you’re not alone. But does anything on those shelves actually work? A major review published by Frontiers in July 2025 sought to answer that question, analyzing over 200 clinical trials of 64 different over-the-counter products. The findings: there are some bright spots, but the story isn’t as simple as picking up a bottle and feeling better. What Actually Helps? Some supplements have a stronger track record than others. St John’s Wort, saffron, probiotics, and vitamin D come out on top—each backed by more than ten clinical trials. If you’re struggling with your mood, these might be worth discussing with your doctor. St John’s Wort and saffron, in particular, performed about as well as prescription antidepressants in several studies. Probiotics and vitamin D also showed real benefits compared to placebo, though omega-3s were a mixed bag—some studie...