Doug Menuez/Getty Images

Can exercise make the brain more fit? That absorbing question inspired a new study at the University of South Carolina during which scientists assembled mice and assigned half to run for an hour a day on little treadmills, while the rest lounged in their cages without exercising.

Earlier studies have shown that exercise sparks neurogenesis, or the creation of entirely new brain cells. But the South Carolina scientists were not looking for new cells. They were looking inside existing ones to see if exercise was whipping those cells into shape, similar to the way that exercise strengthens muscle.

For centuries, people have known that exercise remodels muscles, rendering them more durable and fatigue-resistant. In part, that process involves an increase in the number of muscle mitochondria, the tiny organelles that float around a cell’s nucleus and act as biological powerhouses, helping to create the energy that fuels almost all cellular activity. The greater the mitochondrial density in a cell, the greater its vitality.

Past experiments have shown persuasively that exercise spurs the birth of new mitochondria in muscle cells and improves the vigor of the existing organelles. This upsurge in mitochondria, in turn, has been linked not only to improvements in exercise endurance but to increased longevity in animals and reduced risk for obesity, diabetes and heart disease in people. It is a very potent cellular reaction.

Brain cells are also fueled by mitochondria. But until now, no one has known if a similar response to exercise occurs in the brain.

Read More

Rafael Nadal was working his way into a point about tennis rivalries. It was near the end of the third day of the Wimbledon Championships in late June, and Nadal, an hour or so earlier, efficiently dispensed with his second-round opponent, the hard-hitting but chronically inconsistent American Ryan Sweeting, in straight sets. Now, freshly showered, his longish hair going its own way, his biceps stretching the sleeves of his tight-fitting polo shirt, Nadal, at that moment the No. 1 men’s tennis player in the world, was seated behind a table in a small auditorium at Wimbledon’s press center, weighing what to say. He looked down, toyed a bit with the bottle of water in front of him, brought his hands together, slowly lifted his head and tilted it, then began a smile but shut it down as he looked at me.

Read More

The Houston Texans’ outdoor morning training-camp practices last week looked routine enough: The offense and defense went through drills to prepare for an upcoming preseason game with the New York Jets.

Afterward, though, the scales in the locker room revealed something extraordinary: Faced with a searing heat wave, Texans players lost a collective average of 450 pounds of fluid during each two-hour practice last week, or about 54 gallons of water—as much as one might use during a 20-minute shower.

That’s despite the players consuming about 1,600 pounds of ice, 50 cases of Gatorade and 100 gallons of water.
Read More

A new report from Trust for America’s Health, a nonpartisan advocacy group, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, found that not one state has reported a decrease in obesity. In fact, adult obesity rates have increased in 16 states in the past year.

“Obesity is one of the most challenging health crises this country has ever faced,” said Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America’s Health. “Twenty years ago, no state had an obesity rate higher than 15 percent. Now, only Colorado is below 20 percent.”

In other words, Colorado, which today is the state with the lowest obesity rate, would have had the highest in 1995.

Read More

“After a night of heavy boozing, many partygoers find themselves the victim of a hangover. But what exactly is a hangover, and what causes it? Join Chuck and Josh as they break down the science behind hangovers — and how to avoid them” — in this podcast.

Here is a good, concise article in Men’s Health on salt. Since Motive Pure is all about replenishing salt and, to a lesser extent, potassium, the “Can I live Without Salt?” section is particularly relevant. Good quote: “Sodium acts like a sponge to help hold fluids in your blood.” So the quicker you get sodium into your bloodstream, the quicker it can start to hold fluids in your blood.

“Salt is essential to health. Your body can’t make it, and your cells need it to function, says Aryan Aiyer, M.D., director of the heart center at Magee-Womens Hospital at the University of Pittsburgh medical center. In fact, the Institute of Medicine recommends consuming at least 3.8 grams of salt a day (just over 1/2 teaspoon), mainly for the sodium.

Sodium is an electrolyte, a humble member of that hyped class of minerals that help maintain muscle function and hydration; that’s why sport drinks contain sodium. You’re constantly losing sodium through sweat and urine, and if you don’t replenish that sodium and water, your blood pressure may drop far enough to make you dizzy and light-headed. “Sodium acts like a sponge to help hold fluids in your blood,” says Rikki Keen, R.D., an adjunct instructor of dietetics and nutrition at the University of Alaska.

However, people who chug too much water can lower their sodium levels so far that they develop hyponatremia, a potentially deadly condition more common among recreational exercisers than professional athletes, says Marie Spano, R.D., a sports nutritionist in Atlanta. Salt does more than just make our food taste good; without it, we’d die.”

This is the essence of Motive Pure. Rehydration is more than just drinking water; it’s getting the water into your blood.

Quick and efficient rehydration for athletes before, during, and after competition. Vital electrolytes are prepared for rapid absorption into the bloodstream.

You can feel the difference Motive Pure™ makes. Absorb and Conquer!