Can a Cup of Coffee Ease the Symptoms of Asthma?

From the NY Times...

The suspicion stems in part from its chemical structure, which resembles that of theophylline, a common asthma medication that relaxes the airway muscles and relieves wheezing,shortness of breath and other respiratory problems. Indeed, when caffeine is ingested and broken down by the liver, one byproduct is small amounts of theophylline.

The article does note that the improvements, if any, are "slight" and aren't a replacement for medication.

- Daily Life Wellness 

Interval training reduces arterial stiffness (Say what now?)

A recent study was brought to my attention by Health Habits today. Turns out HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) reduces arterial stiffness better than "continuous" (as in, long, slow and boring) cardio work. Arterial stiffness, for those not in the know, is "associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events."

And those "events" aren't the cool, fun, happy kind, either. You get the drift.

A type of HIIT that I use frequently is called the Tabata Method, so named for the dude who came up with it, Izumi Tabata. A complete Tabata session is exactly 4 minutes long...then you're done. Here's the deal: you rock 20 seconds of all-out cardio effort -- whether it be sprints, stationary bike, whatever -- then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat this cycle 8 times for a total of 4 minutes. It's important that the 20 second effort phases be absolutely full throttle.

- Daily Life Wellness