A new study was published that showcased that young women are unable to set a time for fitness activities once they complete their high school.

Working Out Less

Medical journal JAMA Pediatrics published a study that was created by a Duke University research team on June 11. The team looked at data that reflected both young men and women aged 12 to 29 years old and if they kept up a fitness regimen once high school ended. They used information from 9,472 participants who took the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey from a period that ranged from 2007 to 2016.

The U.S. Government recommended that adolescents do at least 60 minutes or more of moderate or vigorous physical activity. Government officials also approved for adults 18 years old and older that they should complete at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity or an hour and 15 minutes of dynamic physical activity each week. However, the study found that young women struggled with reaching their minimal fitness goals.

The Study's Results

About 88 percent of male teenagers that participated in this study reported that they stayed active during their middle and high school years. However, only 73 percent of young female teenagers said that they found time to incorporate some physical activity. Meanwhile, 70 percent of black female participants stated that they participated in some exercise when they were younger.

However, the study noted that by the time all participants moved on from high school, only 73 percent of the young men reported that they kept fitness in their weekly routine. Unfortunately, researchers recorded that both categories of young females experienced significant dips in physical activity. Only 62 percent of the female participants noted that they kept an exercise routine in their 20s. Meanwhile, 46 percent of black females in the study stated that they participated in physical activity after high school.

Dr. Charlene Wong, one of the study's authors and a Duke University professor, noted that there was room for improvement regarding increasing adolescents and young adults' fitness regiments. She also noted that this physical activity situation could be affecting the country's obesity rates. Wong also noticed that lifestyle could have also played a significant role as well.

"The cultural context of the way that teens and young adults live their lives has changed. The rise of the use of all our mobile technology, and being more sedentary, certainly is one concerning thing," said Dr. Wong to NPR.

Exercise Studies

Seventeen-year-old Jared Shamburger was hospitalized after he contracted a severe illness. It turned out that he had rhabdomyolysis. This illness can happen if a person works out too much. Rhabdomyolysis could cause muscle tissue to break down and could release damaging proteins that could harm the kidneys.

Frontiers in Neuroscience published a study that leg exercises could improve the brain's functionality and handle stress The study's research team found that exercises such as jogging, climbing, and weight training could increase healthy neural cells in a person's brain. However, if a person cuts out these activities, it could be detrimental to the mind because not only would it have a hard time replicating these cells, but the person would have a challenging time dealing with stressful situations.

Spain scientists found that pregnant women who exercise at least three times a week could experience shorter labor. They divided 500 participants into two groups. The first group received routine education about nutrition and physical activity recommendations, while the other group participated in moderate exercise three times a week. The women who exercised not only eliminated their labor time by nearly an hour but also were less likely to receive an epidural.

Tech Times reached out to Dr. Wong for a comment on this story.