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Berlin (dpa) – One and two and three and four: skipping rope may transport you back to when you were a kid – even if you feel a bit less light on your feet. No problem. What used to be a good way to fill your break time can now be a good workout and you might not even struggle with your your inner couch potato. That's because skipping is low-threshold and requires very little equipment, space or time. What exactly can I train by skipping? "Just a few minutes of skipping gets your circulation and metabolism going," says Elisabeth Graser, lecturer at the German University for Prevention and Health Management (DHfPG). Specifically, skipping has the following effects: It strengthens the cardiovascular system. It trains the muscles in the legs and torso. The impact loads have a positive effect on bone density. The fasciae also benefit from the cushioning, which strengthens the connective tissue. Balance, coordination and responsiveness are trained. Jumping rope is one of the sports that burns a relatively large number of calories. In some cases, however, it is a good idea to get the green light from your doctor before you start, if you have joint problems, severe obesity or cardiovascular diseases, Graser says. Four things to consider when getting started Determine the correct rope length: Your height is the decisive factor. Stand with both feet in the middle of the rope. If the handles reach to just below your armpits, the length is right, Graser says. Practise the correct technique: When jumping, make sure your elbows stay close to your body. "Move the rope loosely from your wrists, jump only a few centimetres high and land exclusively on the balls of your feet," says Graser, describing the correct technique. Keep your knees slightly bent – this cushions the impact and protects your joints. Speaking of cushioning: it is best to wear sports shoes with good padding in the forefoot area when jumping rope. Start for just a few minutes. "If you haven't held a rope in your hands since childhood, you should start slowly," she says. The strain of jumping rope can be unfamiliar to your joints, tendons and ligaments at first. When you start, it's best to aim for two to five minutes of pure jumping time, divided into small intervals. You can gradually increase the active time. Be patient. If your foot keep getting caught, that's perfectly normal. "It often takes several sessions before you can manage longer sequences without getting caught in the rope," says Graser. Once you master the classic basic jump with both feet, incorporate variations such as "front kicks, side jumps or one-legged variations," she says. Or you can pick up the pace to add a new training stimulus. The following information is not intended for publication dpa/tmn rid neb xxde arw

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

Berlin (dpa) – One and two and three and four: when you swing a skipping rope, it might transport you back to when you were a kid – even if you feel a bit less light on your feet. No problem. What used to be a good way to fill your break time can now be a good workout and you might not even struggle with your your inner couch potato. That's because skipping is low-threshold and requires very little equipment, space or time. What exactly can I train by skipping? "Just a few minutes of skipping gets your circulation and metabolism going," says Elisabeth Graser, lecturer at the German University for Prevention and Health Management (DHfPG). Specifically, skipping has the following effects: It strengthens the cardiovascular system. It trains the muscles in the legs and torso. The impact loads have a positive effect on bone density. The fasciae also benefit from the cushioning, which strengthens the connective tissue. Balance, coordination and responsiveness are trained. Jumping rope is one of the sports that burns a relatively large number of calories. In some cases, however, it is a good idea to get the green light from your doctor before you start, if you have joint problems, severe obesity or cardiovascular diseases, Graser says. Four things to consider when getting started Determine the correct rope length: Your height is the decisive factor. Stand with both feet in the middle of the rope. If the handles reach to just below your armpits, the length is right, Graser says. Practise the correct technique: When jumping, make sure your elbows stay close to your body. "Move the rope loosely from your wrists, jump only a few centimetres high and land exclusively on the balls of your feet," says Graser, describing the correct technique. Keep your knees slightly bent – this cushions the impact and protects your joints. Speaking of cushioning: it is best to wear sports shoes with good padding in the forefoot area when jumping rope. Start for just a few minutes. "If you haven't held a rope in your hands since childhood, you should start slowly," she says. The strain of jumping rope can be unfamiliar to your joints, tendons and ligaments at first. When you start, it's best to aim for two to five minutes of pure jumping time, divided into small intervals. You can gradually increase the active time. Be patient. If your foot keep getting caught, that's perfectly normal. "It often takes several sessions before you can manage longer sequences without getting caught in the rope," says Graser. Once you master the classic basic jump with both feet, incorporate variations such as "front kicks, side jumps or one-legged variations," she says. Or you can pick up the pace to add a new training stimulus. The following information is not intended for publication dpa/tmn rid neb xxde arw

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

London (dpa) – Be they blended into smoothies or scattered across a lump of ice-cream or slice of pie, most people don't need health-based reasons to get stuck into the likes of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. Indulgent as such eating may sound, those who are fond of berries can rest easy knowing that a diet enriched with them likely means better long-term heart health. Following a decade of tracking the eating habits of around 3,100 people, a King's College London (KCL) team of nutritionists has found that those who regularly eat polyphenol-rich food such as berries "may have better long-term heart health." In research published in the journal BMC Medicine, the team concluded that foods containing polyphenols – compounds found not only in berries, but also cocoa, coffee, grains, nuts, olive oil, tea and wine – led to "lower predicted cardiovascular disease risk." "Even small, sustained shifts towards foods like berries, tea, coffee, nuts and whole grains may help protect the heart over time," said Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, professor of human nutrition at KCL. Rodriguez-Mateos and colleagues said that flavonoids and phenolic acids, which are forms of polyphenols, are of particular benefit. "These plant compounds are widely available in everyday foods, making this a practical strategy for most people," said Yong Li, also of KCL. The market for berries is set to grow as their health benefits become as widely known and appreciated as their taste. "Global blueberry demand is gaining momentum, led by North America and Europe," according to food industry researchers at Rabobank. "Asia offers long-term potential, with countries like India and Thailand showing early import growth. China, although the largest producer, still consumes less than 0.5kg per capita, highlighting room for expansion," the Dutch lender’s analysts said in a recently published paper. The following information is not intended for publication dpa spr coh

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Our preferences, resilience and inventiveness are all shaped by our age. Scientists have clearly defined distinct stages of development in the brain structure from childhood to old age. Check out what is ahead, in terms of your development, efficiency and stability. Cambridge (dpa) – Our brains rewire themselves completely five times over the course of our lifetimes, says a research team, whose insights suggest changes we can expect in these different phases of our lives. The turning points in neural networking occur at an average age of around 9, 32, 66 and 83, they say. The rewiring is accompanied by different ways of thinking as we grow, mature and age, says the study published in the journal Nature Communications. "These phases provide important clues as to what our brain is best suited for at different stages of life or when it is most vulnerable," says Alexa Mousley from the University of Cambridge. "They help us understand why some brains develop differently at important points in life, for example in the form of learning difficulties in children or dementia in old age." The team evaluated around 3,800 data sets from people up to 90 years old with no known neurological diseases for the study. They used MRI diffusion scans, which map neural connections by tracking the movement of water molecules through brain tissue. "From this, we identified four important topological turning points in the course of life – at around the ages of 9, 32, 66 and 83," says the research group in the study. Each of these age groups marks the beginning of a new era in development, accompanied by characteristic age-related changes in the structure of the brain. According to the study, the longest phase is adulthood, which lasts more than three decades. From infant to child: Ongoing building site In the first phase, from birth to around the age of nine, the multitude of synapses overproduced in a baby's brain is reduced, the researchers say. The more actively used connections between neurons are retained. The first turning point at around the age of nine is accompanied by a sudden change in cognitive abilities, but also by an increased risk of mental disorders, say the scientists. Adolescence and early adulthood: Peak efficiency Between the ages of about 9 and 32, the brain enters its second phase – and really takes off. The organization of the brain's communication networks becomes increasingly refined, the team says. This is characterized by rapid communication throughout the brain, combined with improved cognitive performance. Adolescence is the only phase in life in which neural efficiency increases, says Mousley. The adult brain – three decades of stability On average, the research team says the brain reaches its maximum performance in our early 30s, marking the most significant turning point in our whole lifespan. "At around the age of 32, we observe the greatest changes in wiring and the greatest overall shift in development compared to all other turning points," says Mousley. The exact timing varies and depends partly on cultural, historical and social factors. Compared to earlier phases, the brain's architecture stabilizes – and remains so for around three decades. There is a plateau in terms of intelligence and personality, the researchers say. Mid-sixties: early ageing begins At around 66 years of age, the least pronounced turning point without major structural changes occurs: in the mid-sixties, a gradual restructuring of the brain networks reaches its peak. "At this age, people are at increased risk for a variety of health problems that can affect the brain, such as high blood pressure," says Mousley. Late ageing – the final stage of development The final turning point occurs at around 83 years of age, when the human brain enters the late ageing phase, the analysis says. Networking continues to decline. As there were no study participants over the age of 90, the study period only extended to this age. The team hopes that future studies will include larger samples and examine gender-specific differences. "Understanding that the structural development of the brain is not a matter of steady progress, but rather a matter of a few important turning points, will help us recognise when and how its wiring is vulnerable to disruption," says lead author Duncan Astle of the University of Cambridge. The following information is not intended for publication dpa fm zlw kll xxde arw

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Berlin (dpa) – Ubiquitous industrial chemicals and pesticides have a "toxic effect" on germs that play a key role in maintaining human health and could be a threat to male reproductive health, according to two teams of scientists. "Many chemicals designed to act only on one type of target, say insects or fungi, also affect gut bacteria," says the University of Cambridge’s Indra Roux, whose team’s probe of more than 1,000 potential contaminants found 168 that are likely a danger to the human microbiome. "Most of these chemicals had not been previously reported to have antibacterial properties," the researchers say, in a paper published in the journal Nature Microbiology. "Fungicides and industrial chemicals showed the largest impact, with around 30% exhibiting anti-gut-bacterial activity," the team says. "When the microbiome is knocked out of balance there can be wide-ranging effects on our health including digestive problems, obesity, and effects on our immune system and mental health," the researchers warn. The findings followed the publication in November of a warning by George Mason University researchers that "insecticide exposure," particularly to neonicotinoids, could undermine sperm production. "We concluded it is possible that exposure to these chemicals can lower sperm quality, disrupt hormones, and damage testicular tissue," says Sumaiya Safia Irfan, who was part of a team whose findings were published by the journal Environmental Research. While the data used were animal-based, the team found that "the "nature of reproductive processes across mammals supports the relevance of these findings to human health." The following information is not intended for publication dpa spr arw

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)