Fitness

Low-Impact Exercise, Yoga, Reduces Urinary Incontinence in Older Women

Published

1 year ago

September 7, 2024

Low-Impact Exercise, Yoga, Reduces Urinary Incontinence in Older Women

A 12-week study shows that low-impact yoga and exercise can significantly reduce urinary incontinence episodes in older women, offering a safe, accessible alternative to medications

It’s more likely than not that personal trainers will work with female clients who deal with incontinence issues, which could be an obstacle on their path to the fitness and wellness goals. Recent research supports the belief that solutions are available, and exercise may be one of them.

A recent study led by Stanford Medicine and the University of California, San Francisco, has found that low-impact exercise programs, such as yoga and general stretching, significantly reduce urinary incontinence episodes in older women. The research, published in Annals of Internal Medicine on August 27, provides promising alternatives for women seeking non-pharmacological treatments.

A Underreported & Common Issue

Urinary incontinence affects more than half of middle-aged women and up to 80% of women over 80 and can interfere with daily activities and significantly impact quality of life. The study examined the effects of a 12-week low-impact yoga program and found a 65% reduction in incontinence episodes among participants.

“We were testing the kind of yoga that just about anyone can do, with modifications for different physical abilities,” said Dr. Leslee Subak, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford Medicine and the study’s senior author. “What I love about it is that it’s safe, inexpensive, doesn’t require a doctor and is accessible wherever you live.”

The research set out to find cost-effective and accessible solutions for a problem that is often stigmatized and underreported. According to Subak, incontinence is mistakenly viewed as an inevitable part of aging, though treatments are available.

“Incontinence is not only common, but it also interferes with people’s lives,” Subak noted. “It takes away independence. Many women avoid staying with their children or grandchildren due to the fear and embarrassment of an accident.”

credit: MixMedia

Study Parameters

The study involved 240 women between the ages of 45 and 90, all experiencing daily incontinence. Participants were divided into two groups: one practicing 16 hatha yoga poses aimed at strengthening the pelvic floor, and the other group performing general stretching and strengthening exercises.

Both groups attended two 90-minute exercise sessions weekly and were asked to practice independently for at least an hour per week.

Fitness

Dubai November Challenge: From sports events to exercise hubs, take your fitness to next level

Published

8 hours ago

November 12, 2025

Press Room

If you are a sports and fitness enthusiast, then November is a month you should spend in Dubai. As the weather cools down in the desert city, it is time to embrace the inner fitness freak in you and have a great time in the emirate.

Sports events

DP World Tour Championships will be held from November 13 to 16 while PTO Dubai T100 Triathlon will be conducted from November 14 to 16.

There are three events scheduled for November 14 – Dubai Open for Gymnastics Academies will be held at 7 am while Baseball United Season One and World Natural Games will kick off at 9 am.

Five events are slated for November 15. Public Prosecution Run will kick off at 5.30 am. Arabian Warrior, an obstacle course race (OCR) event at Dubai Festival City, and the Music Run, a vibrant 5km fun run, will both begin at 7 am. Chase the Wind Rollerskating and Aura Skypool Tri in the Sky will also be held on the same day.

November 16 will witness five sports events. Runway Run, a one-of-a-kind 5K adventure on the runway of the Dubai Airshow, will kick off at 5am. ICD Brookefield Place Vertical Run, where participants climb either 30 or 54 floors of the ICD Brookfield Place tower in Dubai, will begin at 6am.

The seventh edition of Plus500 City Half Marathon Dubai, will start at 6 am at DIFC. Emirates NBD Unity Run, which also kicks off at 6 am, is open to children and adults of all abilities and ages. Wewalk and Weride, the TECOM Group’s flagship walkathon, is scheduled for 7 am.

DSG Archery Championship will be held on November 18 at 7 am while Meydan Night Run is slated for November 19 at 7.30 am and Dassa X-Country Runs will take place on November 20 at 3 pm.

November 21 will see three events, including Dubai College Rugby and Netball Sevens as well as Turf Games, both scheduled at 8 am, and AHPEC Showjumping at 5 pm.

There will be three events on November 22 as well. Bare Knuckle Fight League and Spartans White Collar 12 are scheduled for 6 pm while the Angels Cup, DuGym Rhythmic Gymnastics International Competition will be held at 9 pm.

Dubai Run will kick off at 5 am on November 23, followed by Spinneys 92 Cycle Challenge Build-Up Ride 3 at 6 am.

On November 27, Level Up Sports Tech Innovation Expo will be held at 10am while Emirates Dubai 7s is scheduled for November 28 at 3 am.

November 29 events include Dubai International 22ft Sailing Race – Round 2 at 6 am, Dubai Oriental Dhow Sailing Race Class 60 Progress – Round 2 at 6.30 am and Red Bull Half Court World Finals 2025 at 8am.

Skechers Half Marathon is scheduled to kick off at 5am on November 30. SportsPro Tribe Road Run 10K, 5K, 3K and 1K will also be held the same day from 7 am.

Fitness challenges

From November 10 to 16, you can be part of the week-long fitness hubs at Gymnation Motor City or the Deep Dive Dubai X Wellfit.

There are also month-long events across Dubai, including a fitness hub at JA Hatta Fort Hotel, from November 1 to 28.

Other events include activities to encourage people to exercise for 30 minutes a day for 30 days as part of Dubai Fitness Challenge 2025.

DP World is hosting a 30X30 Fitness Village in Kite Beach while the Dubai Municipality is organising a similar event in Zabeel Park from November 1 to 30.

X-Park Dubai X Wellfit 30X30 Fitness Hub is being held at X-Park, Kite Beach. Bluewaters Fitness Hub is another event being held throughout November.

Other 30-minute-30-day events include D3 Mercedes-Benz 30X30 Fitness Hub, Danube Sports World 30X30 Fitness Hub, Hatta Wadi 30X30 Fitness Hub, Zabeel Ladies Club 30X30 Fitness Hub, Ripe Market 30X30 Fitness Hub, Town Square 30X30 Fitness Hub, Global Village 30X30 Fitness Hub, Beach JBR X Squatwolf 30X30 Fitness Hub, Sevens Stadium 30X30 Fitness Hub, Nad Al Sheba Mall 30X30 Fitness Hub and Wasl Village 30X30 Fitness Hub.

Fitness

Chop your way to higher T: How this power move fires up your hormones

Published

1 day ago

November 11, 2025

Press Room

Chop your way to higher T: How this power move fires up your hormones

Chopping wood isn’t a walk in the park, and lumberjacks bulk up those muscles by felling trees, cutting logs, and transporting heavy lumber. Historically, lumberjacks used axes and hand saws, and many modern-day loggers have moved on to chainsaws and power tools. Lately, the wood chop exercise has grown in popularity, and you don’t need an axe, a power tool, a forest, or even a tree. You can use different options, such as a dumbbell, a medicine ball, or the cable handle on the pulley system.

Fire up your obliques

This lumberjack-inspired move resembles the motion of chopping wood. You begin with your arms up overhead before twisting your torso, engaging your transverse abdominis and oblique muscles, and bringing your arms down across your body as if you’re chopping wood.

This simple exercise boosts your functional fitness, engages your whole body, and torches your abs and oblique muscles on the sides of your core. The rotational motion also enhances your core stability, athletic performance, mobility, balance, and more. What about raising testosterone? Researchers have explored just that and found that yes, wood chopping really does raise T levels.

The research: Can wood chopping boost testosterone?

In a study published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, the researchers sought to determine whether wood chopping and sports affect testosterone levels. Does testosterone rise during tasks like tree felling? How do shifts in T levels influence performance?

The study involved 51 men aged between 16 and 80 from the Tsimane indigenous group in the Bolivian Amazon who farmed, hunted, and foraged. The researchers examined how the men’s testosterone levels changed during hard physical work. The researchers collected saliva samples before and after the wood-chopping activity to measure testosterone levels. A different group of men provided resting saliva samples for the study authors to compare. They also compared changes in the T levels during a competitive football game.

The study results

The results revealed the following:

The Tsimane men who spent an hour chopping down trees to clear land for crops experienced a 48.6% increase in testosterone levels, regardless of their health or age.
The rise in T levels was even more significant than when the same men played competitive soccer, which resulted in a 30.1% increase.

The researchers pointed out that testosterone rises not just during competition or sports, but also when these men are performing their everyday physical labor to support their families. These short-term surges in testosterone could help the men work harder, be more productive, and continue on with the physically demanding tasks.

Concluding thoughts

Studies have shown that HIIT and strength training also raise testosterone, so it’s worth hitting the gym. That being said, after seeing this study, while chopping wood might not be for everyone, you might consider adding the wood chop exercise to your workout routine. In this study, both older and younger men experienced these T spikes, showing that these benefits applied regardless of age.

Fitness

A Pilates instructor says it’s never too late to pick up strength training—here are her top chair-supported strengthening moves for the over-60s

Published

2 days ago

November 11, 2025

Press Room

A Pilates instructor says it’s never too late to pick up strength training—here are her top chair-supported strengthening moves for the over-60s

If you’re over 60, you may have heard how lifting weights is great for longevity, but feel like you’ve left it too late to start.

Well, Liz Hilliard, a personal trainer, and the founder and creator of the Hilliard Studio Method, has news for you.

“It’s never too late and you’re never too old to start exercising,” says Hilliard. “It’s imperative that you move your body every day and begin adding resistance training to your exercise schedule at least three days a week.”

While three days a week might seem like a lot, you don’t need to be putting in hours of work or doing hundreds of reps (short for exercise repetitions). Hilliard has shared an accessible workout for beginners below, and even if you’re doing the maximum number of recommended reps, you’ll only do 55 in total.

You can take as many breaks as you need, start with a lower rep count and even pick at the routine throughout the day, doing just one exercise, then coming back to the workout later.

The workout consists of four exercises and you only require a dining chair to keep you stable.

Give it a try and let me know in the comments how you get on.

1. Squat

(Image credit: Hilliard Studio Method)

Reps: 10-15

“Squats work all the muscles of your legs, lower body and core,” says Hilliard. “Strong lower-body muscles aid balance and mobility and help guard against injury as we age. Building muscle mass in this area prevents injury by protecting your bones and joints in case of a fall.”

How to do it:

Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your knees directly over your ankles. Pull your belly in toward your spine, and sit upright with your shoulders over your hips.
Push into your heels and stand up with your head held high. You should feel a stretch through your legs, and your hips should sit directly over your ankles.
Push your hips back and bend your knees to sit back into the chair, lowering as slowly as possible.
Go from sitting to standing and back to sitting between 10 and 15 times in total, aiming to complete the movement without assistance from your hands.

How to progress: As you gain strength, try stopping just before your glutes touch the seat.

2. Triceps dip

Woman demonstrates exercise with chair in empty fitness studio

(Image credit: Hilliard Studio Method)

Reps: 10-15

“Triceps dips are a wonderful exercise for the back of your upper arms,” says Hilliard. “They also work your shoulders, biceps, forearms, wrists and core.”

How to do it:

Sit on a sturdy chair with your hands on the edge of the seat.
Gently tuck your hips under and pull your core in, while slowly walking your feet forward until your tailbone is off the chair. Keep your shoulders over your wrists and your neck neutral.
Bend your elbows to lower your tailbone below the seat of the chair.
Push through your hands, squeezing the backs of your arms, to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
Complete the movement between 10 and 15 times.

3. Push-up

Woman demonstrates exercise with chair in empty fitness studio

(Image credit: Hilliard Studio Method)

Reps: 10

“Push-ups are my all-time favorite exercise as they target the upper body and core and can be done in many different accessible ways,” says Hilliard. “A push-up is a powerful move that targets the chest, arms, back and core.”

How to do it:

Place your hands on the edges of a sturdy chair. Walk your feet back until you form a straight line from your head to your hips to your heels, keeping your shoulders directly above your hands.
Bend your elbows to lower your chest until it is level with your elbows.
Exhale, pull your core in and press back up until your arms are straight again.
Complete 10 push-ups in total.

How to adjust the difficulty: You can also place your hands on a higher surface, like a countertop, to make the move easier, or place your hands on the floor and drop to your knees.

4. Standing plié

Woman demonstrates exercise with chair in empty fitness studio

(Image credit: Hilliard Studio Method)

Reps: 10-15

“Standing pliés make a fantastic lower-body exercise that not only tones the leg muscles, but also improves the strength around the joints of the ankles, knees and hips.”

How to do it:

Stand beside a sturdy chair, placing one or both hands on the back for balance. Place your heels together and your toes slightly apart to make a V shape between the feet.
Slightly bend your knees and lift your heels, keeping your ears over your shoulders and your shoulders over your hips.
Bend your knees, lowering your hips toward your heels like you are sliding slowly down a wall, but don’t let your hips travel lower than your knees.
Straighten your legs to rise.
Complete the movement between 10 and 15 times slowly and with control. You should feel a light burning sensation in your thigh and calf muscles.

How to progress: For a more advanced movement, let go of the chair with one or both hands.

Form tip: Make sure not to lean forward.

About our expert

Head and shoulders of smiling woman with blond hair wearing a black vest top

About our expert

Liz Hilliard

Liz Hilliard is the owner and creator of the Hilliard Studio Method, an in-person and online fitness program that helps women avoid the negative side effects of menopause. Hilliard helps women at any age and any stage of life sculpt strong, healthy, beautiful bodies and minds.