Steppin is a new app for consumers looking to repurpose the endless hours spent scrolling on social media with beneficial physical activity. With Steppin, users can block social media apps until they walk a certain amount of steps, encouraging them to achieve their fitness goals before settling down for screen time. Steppin can also be set up to block time-consuming entertainment apps like Netflix or mobile games.

The company has future plans to count more than just steps, allowing users to eventually track yoga classes and other physical activities that earn them scrolling time.

The Steppin app is now available for free on the iOS store, and the app will launch for Android users in the near future.

Image Credit: Steppin

Researchers at University of Tsukuba identified a previously unconfirmed gas exchange threshold in rats and demonstrated that this threshold, together with the lactate threshold, serves as an indicator of moderate-intensity exercise to determine the effectiveness of training in enhancing aerobic performance.

The study is published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. This achievement is fundamental for basic research on exercise. It will be useful for researchers in the field of health and fitness promotion as it provides a useful moderate-intensity index for rats.

During incremental aerobic exercise, there are thresholds where blood lactate levels begin to rise, and CO₂ production increases rapidly relative to O₂ uptake. The former threshold is termed the lactate threshold (LT), and the latter, the gas exchange threshold (GET). In humans, these thresholds are moderate-intensity exercise indices, with LT and GET at 45%–74% of the maximal oxygen uptake (VO_2max). Training at or above these thresholds improves aerobic performance.

In contrast, in rats, LT has been identified, but GET is not known yet. Furthermore, it is unclear whether the rat GET and LT can be useful indicators of exercise intensity similar to the thresholds in humans.

The researchers previously established a rat model for identifying the LT during running exercise. This study aimed to simultaneously identify LT and GET by integrating this LT model with the standard human GET identification method, known as the V-slope method.

Subsequently, the relationships among the identified GET, LT, and VO_2max, as well as the changes in these thresholds following aerobic training below or above the LT, were examined. The results showed that GET and LT in rats occurred synchronously at intensities ranging from 41.0% to 65.5% VO_2max, and that the maximal (VO_2max) and submaximal (GET, LT) aerobic capacities were enhanced only in rats that trained at intensities above the LT.

These results suggest that the GET and LT in rats are valid indices of moderate-intensity exercise in training prescription to enhance aerobic performance as in humans. The findings of this study are expected to serve as a catalyst for further research in the field of rat studies focused on exercise intensity, ultimately contributing to the advancement of human exercise prescription strategies. In particular, the noninvasive and easily identifiable nature of the GET from the exhaled gas suggests a wide range of potential applications.

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – This time of the year, many of us vow to drop the extra pounds and hit the gym. But there’s no instant gratification. It takes time for exercise to change our bodies… or does it?

Working out, it can take days, weeks, and sometimes even months to see physical results. But new research shows exercise may actually have an immediate impact internally on your blood sugar levels.

“Exercise, I always say, is free medicine for the body,” said Alison Massey, MS, RD, CDCES, registered dietitian and owner of Flourish Nutrition Therapy & Wellness.

Italian researchers have discovered that as little as 30 minutes of physical activity can help lower blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity. That means it can help manage and possibly prevent Type 2 diabetes. Participants in the study saw immediate glucose and insulin benefits just one hour after exercise.

“We have research that supports that lifestyle change is so powerful at reducing your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by about 50 percent.”

Diabetes affects 537 million adults worldwide and many more may have it, but don’t know it yet. To reduce your risk, health experts recommend first losing excess weight.

“So, for somebody that’s 200 pounds, you’re looking at a 20-pound weight loss,” said Massey.

Then eat a healthy diet.

“Try to fill 50 percent of your plate with vegetables is always a good strategy,” explained Massey.

And exercising at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

“It does take a lot of effort and sometimes people need extra support,” Massey told Ivanhoe.

So, get an accountability buddy or a professional dietician to help. And remember, every workout counts.

In the study, researchers asked 32 participants to lightly jog for 30 minutes and they uncovered these immediate benefits one hour later.

Contributors to this news report include: Shernay Williams, Producer; Chuck Bennethum, Editor.

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