PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

   Home Workouts and Coaching Boost Fitness in Neuromuscular Disease Patients A new study, published June 4 in Neurology, suggests that tailored aerobic exercise routines and ongoing coaching at home can improve physical fitness in people with neuromuscular diseases. Sander Oorschot and a team at the University of Amsterdam led the research. In this randomized controlled trial, participants with various neuromuscular conditions were assigned to either a six-month program featuring customized home-based aerobic workouts and coaching or a usual care group. The study included 91 people, and fitness and health assessments were conducted at the start, after six months, and again a year later. The results showed that those in the exercise and coaching group had better improvements in physical fitness, measured by peak oxygen uptake, than those receiving standard care. Specifically, the intervention group’s fitness levels increased by an average of 2.2 mL/min/kg after the program and...

  HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE INJECTION REMEDY A recent clinical trial led by Queen Mary University of London has found that a twice-yearly injection could make a real difference for people struggling to control their blood pressure. The study, published in JAMA, shows that administering an infusion every six months results in a significant and lasting drop in blood pressure for patients whose condition isn’t well-managed with standard treatments. The trial, known as KARDIA-2, enrolled 663 participants from around the world, all living with high blood pressure that wasn’t responding well to their usual medications. Researchers tested a new drug called zilebesiran, given as an injection alongside patients’ regular blood pressure pills. Those who received zilebesiran saw better blood pressure control than those who stayed on standard therapy alone. This could be a game-changer for the millions of adults affected by high blood pressure—about one in three people in the UK alone. Uncontrolled h...

  BRAIN REWIRING: SOUNDS WORK INSTANTLY Ever wonder what’s happening in your Brain when you listen to a steady beat or a musical note? A new study from Aarhus University and the University of Oxford says it’s not just a matter of hearing—the Brain is reorganizing itself on the fly. When a sound enters your ear, it’s more than just a signal traveling to your Brain. Brain researchers have shown that the Brain can rapidly reshape its networks, creating a complex dance between brainwaves in different areas. This work, published in Advanced Science, was led by Dr. Mattia Rosso and Associate Professor Leonardo Bonetti from the Center for Music in the Brain, in partnership with Oxford. Their team developed a new neuroimaging tool called FREQ-NESS (Frequency-resolved Network Estimation via Source Separation). This technique uses sophisticated algorithms to separate overlapping brain networks based on their dominant frequencies. Once a network’s frequency “signature” is found, FREQ-NESS can...

BURN FAT WITH THESE EXERCISES   Not every workout burns calories at the same rate. How much you burn depends on your weight, how hard you push yourself, and how long you keep at it. Still, research makes it clear that some exercises are calorie-burning. High-Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, is one of the fastest ways to ramp up your calorie expenditure. Short bursts of all-out effort, followed by quick rests, can burn more calories in less time than steady jogging or cycling. HIIT keeps your body burning extra calories even after you’re done—thanks to the “afterburn” effect (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC). A solid HIIT session can equal or outdo the calorie burn of a much longer, steady workout, and you’ll keep burning more even while you rest (The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research). Running is another classic calorie scorcher. Pick up the pace, and the burn ramps up fast: a 160-pound person can burn over 10 calories a minute running at 6 ...

 HEART RATE AND CALORIE BURNING  Heart rate and calorie burn are closely connected; exercise science has used that link well. As you work out and your effort ramps up, your heart beats faster to deliver more oxygen to your muscles. This higher demand for oxygen means your body is burning more energy, so tracking your heart rate gives a window, though not a perfect one, into how many calories you’re using up. What the Research Shows When you exercise harder, your body needs more oxygen, which pushes your heart rate higher. Because of this, there’s a pretty direct relationship—especially at moderate to vigorous intensities—between your heart rate and how much energy you’re burning. Age, sex, body weight, and fitness level affect how many calories you torch, so most calorie-burning equations factor those in. How It’s Used in Fitness Fitness trackers and apps use heart rate to estimate calorie burn. Usually, they blend heart rate readings with details like your age, weight, and se...

CRYOTHERAPY: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Cryotherapy is a treatment that uses extreme cold to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and support recovery from exercise or injury. It can be applied to a specific area—using ice packs or ice baths—or to the whole body in specialized cryotherapy chambers. How Cryotherapy Works: Applying cold lowers the temperature of tissues, restricting blood flow, slowing the metabolic rate, and reducing inflammation at the site. It also slows nerve signals, helping to numb pain. The main physical effects are narrowing blood vessels (vasoconstriction) and reducing swelling, making cryotherapy particularly useful after acute injuries like sprains or strains. Effectiveness for Sports Recovery: There’s evidence that methods like ice baths after exercise can reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and help athletes feel like they’re recovering faster. Still, the impact on actual performance, such as strength or power, is less clear, and some research finds onl...

COMPETITIVE BODYBUILDING: INCREASED RISKS FOR SUDDEN DEATH   Male bodybuilders—especially those who compete at the professional level—face a notably high risk of sudden cardiac death, according to research published in the European Heart Journal on May 20, 2025. The study, led by Dr. Marco Vecchiato of the University of Padova, Italy, found that sudden cardiac death accounts for a disproportionate share of fatalities among male bodybuilders globally, with the highest risk observed in professionals. Sudden cardiac death, which refers to an unexpected death caused by heart malfunction, is rare among young and seemingly healthy individuals. Yet, it frequently stems from underlying cardiac conditions. This new research highlights the unique health risks of competitive bodybuilding and underscores the need for increased awareness, preventive measures, and policy changes within the sport. For the study, Dr. Vecchiato and colleagues compiled a list of 20,286 male bodybuilders who had part...