Exercise

Pregnant women, lace up your sneakers: A study has found that most expectant mothers are not getting nearly the amount of exercise they need. Only one in six pregnant women meets the recommended guidelines for physical activity, which is 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity exercise done most days of the week. (Only one out of four non-pregnant women meets the guidelines.

Only 22% of Americans exercise regularly, but they are not all healthy. Some are compulsive exercisers who are getting too much of a good thing. Fitness experts are beginning to define this subset of exercisers who appear to be working out excessively for all the wrong reasons. When people become compulsive or addicted to exercise, they may be using the activity as a means to express unhealthy feelings, says Janet Polivy, a fitness researcher at the University of Toronto.

A veteran racehorse exercise rider at Golden Gate Fields died when a startled thoroughbred flipped over and killed him. Racetrack publicity manager Tom Ferrall said Ignacio Ramirez, 58, left the barn at 6 a.m. Sunday for an exercise ride when the horse got spooked and flipped over. Ramirez was pronounced dead at the scene. Ferrall says fatal accidents at the track are rare, and he was not sure what had startled the filly. The horse was not injured.

Among the growing list of people who can benefit from exercise, add another group: cancer patients in the midst of radiation treatment. A new study has found that women and men undergoing radiation for breast and prostate cancer felt less fatigued, had improved quality of life and missed fewer treatment sessions when they engaged in a six-week routine of moderate exercise.

Re "Working Out Issues" [July 25]: I've often wondered how anyone can sit in a chair all day and pay rapt attention to someone talking at them. Well, it looks as if Dr. Wayne Sandler, psychiatrist/personal trainer, has figured out a way to fit in his exercise regimen while at work -- and then spin it as though it's really about the patient. Please. It's hard enough for most people to just stay on the treadmill without falling off, never mind panting and digging into their psyches.

Two weeks of breathing exercises before heart bypass surgery can cut the risk of pneumonia and other lung problems after the surgery, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. The study tracked 279 heart surgery patients deemed to be at high risk for postoperative lung problems -- those with diabetes, a history of smoking, bad coughs, obesity and other complications.

When it comes to physical activity, how do you compare with your fellow Americans? The following numbers are from the 1996 report "Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General." * About 25% of Americans 18 and older (about 47.6 million) report no leisure-time physical activity. * About 22% of American adults report regular sustained physical activity of any intensity lasting 30 minutes or more five times a week. * About 15% of U.S.

Can cycling (indoor or outdoor) be a weight-bearing exercise? When I do Spinning classes in the gym, we pedal in a standing position much of the time. I have been diagnosed with osteopenia and have been told weight-bearing exercises may help slow down the loss of bone tissue. And I wonder whether cycling works in this way. LORRAINE Huntington Beach Cycling can be considered a weight-bearing exercise, but keep in mind that not all forms of cycling are created equal.

Some time in the early 30s, brain tissue starts to deteriorate. The decline continues over the next 60 years, so that by the time a person celebrates his or her 90th birthday, about 25% of tissue has been lost in areas that affect memory, learning and other thinking functions. Now, for the first time, researchers have physical proof that being physically fit slows this loss of brain tissue.

Exercise has been touted as a good way to help prevent certain diseases and conditions, but can it be useful after the fact? Yes, says a study, which suggests that a fitness regimen can enhance the health of patients following treatment. The paper analyzed 34 studies that looked at the effect of exercise on patients who had breast cancer, as well as other types of cancer, such as prostate and lung. The various studies included aerobic, resistance and strength workouts, the average length was 13 weeks and the average number of people in each trial was 93. Most of the control groups consisted of people who were sedentary or told to do no exercise.