Listen to me now and believe me later, 2013 was no year to just sit around eating buffalo-wing-flavored-pretzels-flavored-biscuits. Or maybe it was. But it was also the year we got down to the nitty gritty of of health and fitness. From bionic knees to six-pack science, here are our favorite Fitmodos[1] of 2013.
When you're faced with a sports-related injury, half of your friends will be adamant that ice is the only way to treat it. The other half will tell you that heat is the way to go. The problem is that most of your friends are idiots. So, which of your idiot friends are you supposed to listen to?
Say you've just had ACL surgery. Or you're recovering from a bad break. Or, worse, you suffer a stroke, or MS, or spinal or neurological damage. Regaining the power to walk is one of the toughest things you can do, and it may be impossible without a crutch, rail, or physical therapist to lean on. The AlterG Bionic Leg—straight out of the sci-fi future—may be the answer you've been dreaming of. I should know. I tried it.
For once, let's not lie to ourselves about how we're going to "take it easy" this Thanksgiving. Most of us are going to give thanks by indulging like gluttonous pigs. It's okay, we can give ourselves a pass every now and then, but let's be real: if we don't want to have more chins on our chin's chins by New Year's, we're going to have to work it off.
If you've always yearned for a washboard stomach, and you can do a thousand crunches but you still aren't seeing results, you're not alone. But never fear! Everyone has a six pack under there (somewhere), you've just got to know what to do to get it out in the open.
Do you have trouble sticking to workout regimens? Maybe you start off strong for the first couple weeks, but then you start missing them here and there until, eventually, you realize there's a you-shaped cavern in your couch. You're in good company. But there's a tool that our own bodies produce that might just be the missing ingredient. In fact, it can literally make you addicted to your workouts.
Congratulations, you injured yourself doing something active. Such things are liable to happen when you leave the couch. But the choice between Advil, Tylenol, aspirin, and so many other pills can be daunting. Here's what you should reach for, and when.
"Damn, it's freezing. I know I said I'd go for a run, but in this cold it's probablyunhealthy, right?" Sound familiar? It's this line of reasoning that keeps me on the couch, watching Downton Abbey, crying into my nachos. But is running in cold weather actually unhealthy, or is it just a flimsy excuse? To find out, we talked to the legendary Dr. Jack Daniels, one of the world's best running coaches, and got the skinny on cold.
Hey there, biker dude/dudette. You're biking pretty well there, carving up the street real nice. Nice control, decent stamina. But if you want to take your cycling to the next level, it's time to enter the world of clipless pedals.
While watching sports, have you ever stopped (midway through a bowl of Cheetos) to wonder, "How far are those guys actually running?" It's a common question, one that's historically been subject mostly to guesswork, Thanks to some recent technological developments, though, we can now actually apply some data to it.
It goes without saying that modern methods of travel—planes, trains, and automobiles—are a hell of a lot better than ye olde horse and buggy days, but convenience has a cost. Many hours of remaining sedentary exact a serious tax on your body. While nothing you do can make a long trip a zero-impact affair, there are some things you can do to mitigate the stresses you put on your physique.
During any form of physical exertion, most people don't think about breath until they're gasping for it. The most advanced exercisers among us are conscious of trying to breathe lower, into their bellies. But there's an even better way, and making this simple switch will get more oxygen into your blood, faster.
Most running novices plot their early runs in terms of distance. "I used to be able to run X distance in high school; I'm going to run that same distance today." Then they spend the next two weeks hobbling around like a broken grandpa. There's a better way.
Creatine has been wildly popular since the 1990s. It's touted as a shortcut to gaining lean muscle mass, and packed into everything from supplement pills and powders to sports drinks. But how does it work, if at all? Is it even safe? Allow us to demystify this strange chemical beast.
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