Some Good Tunes Will Help You Get Through Those Hard Workouts
Science has corroborated what seems like common sense — that music helps people workout longer.
The Mercury News:
How To Make A Tough Workout Feel Like A Breeze
Pump up the volume! This is one if from the file marked “Duh.” Science has just proved what anyone who has ever ridden an elliptical machine hard has long known. A tough workout feels a whole lot easier if you are blasting some music that you love. It doesn’t really matter if it’s Taylor Swift or Fela, if it makes you feel good, it takes the edge off. As Time reports, in a new study by Texas University, people who listened to music during a cardiac stress test were able to sweat it out for almost a minute longer than those who didn’t. The study, which has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, will be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting and scientists are saying it is proof that tunes boost our tolerance for intense exercise. (D'Souza, 3/6)
In other public health news —
The Mercury News:
Ten Careers Of Bay Area Athletes Derailed By Substance Abuse
With former 49ers and Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith out on $30,000 bail facing domestic violence charges and reports that his life is out of control, here’s a look at 10 other Bay Area athletes who saw their careers deteriorate because of abuse of either alcohol or drugs. (McDonald, 3/7)
The Mercury News:
Can Raw Water Make You Sick?
Camping out, sleeping under the stars and waking up to fill your canteen from a beautiful mountain stream. That’s part of the appeal of raw water, which has become the latest trend du jour. It seems like the most natural thing in the world. As the Live Water company puts it, it is “naturally probiotic” and “perfected by nature.” True believers claim that fresh, unadulterated water is chock full of beneficial minerals that you may not get from the tap. As the Washington Post reports, raw water is all the rage here in Silicon Valley where you often pay top dollar (say $15 a gallon) for what some fear may be very bad for you. These pricey bottles of the wet stuff may well be bursting with dangerous bacteria, viruses and parasites that can make you sick. Gulp. (D'Souza, 3/6)