#EnduranceTraining

A new wave of fitness research and expert coaching underscores what many runners have begun to discover: integrating strength training into a running regimen is essential for achieving faster times and reducing injury risk, contrary to the widespread belief that more mileage alone leads to better performance. Comprehensive guidance from a tactical fitness expert, recently highlighted in an article for Military.com, details how this holistic approach benefits runners, military candidates, and fitness enthusiasts alike (Military.com).

A groundbreaking study has highlighted timing and consistency of physical activity as the leading factors for increasing VO2 max—the core marker of cardiorespiratory fitness—as people age. The findings, published in the prestigious journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, are especially relevant for older adults in Thailand, where the aging population is expanding rapidly and public health efforts increasingly focus on healthy aging.

VO2 max, the measure of the maximum amount of oxygen the body can utilize during intense exercise, is more than just a benchmark for athletic performance. Across global research, it’s recognized as a powerful predictor of health span and longevity; higher VO2 max values are linked with lower risks of disease and longer, healthier lives. For Thais keen to maintain vitality and independence as they age, understanding how to optimize this measure is of growing importance (AOL article).

A groundbreaking new study published in the Journal of Physiology has unveiled a striking connection between the liver’s metabolic function and brain health, highlighting the crucial role of liver-produced ketones during exercise—and raising intriguing possibilities for combating cognitive decline, even among those with liver impairments. Conducted by researchers at the University of Missouri, the research demonstrates that when liver cells lose the ability to make ketones, cognitive and mitochondrial function in the brain suffer. Remarkably, endurance exercise was found to reverse these negative effects, suggesting a possible “backup system” that could protect the aging brain and offer new hope to individuals with liver disease (psypost.org).