Here, Muscle & Fitness is your destination for some of the most compelling stories from the world of exercise and health in recent days.
The 2022 Paralympics in Beijing open today
The XIII. The Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing begin today, and while the multi-sport tournament has banned athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating due to current world events, passionate athletes from the rest of the world will compete to reach the pinnacle of their physical prowess.
Andrew Kurka, former 5-time state wrestling champion, will represent Team USA in downhill skiing gold. Tragically, he broke his back tipping over a 4-wheeler at age 13, but incredibly he continued to wrestle, even winning a state championship without using his legs. Another inspirational athlete from Team USA is Oksana Masters. She was born with a number of ailments believed to be related to the Chernobyl disaster, including missing shins and mis-sized legs. At age 14, Masters had both legs amputated near the knee. Amazingly, she has won multiple medals in her sporting career, including rdic skiing and even para-cycling. Team GB's James Barnes-Miller, who suffers from a weak limb, is also hoping to bring the gold back to his native England via snowboarding after a stellar performance at the 2021 World Championships in Lillehammer.
The Paralympic Games will last until March 13th and around 600 athletes from around 50 countries will compete.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Logan Paul Announce Slap Fighting Partnership
If you haven't had your fill of celebrities in your boxing and MMA fights, you're in luck because Arnie and Logan Paul have teamed up to bring you the Slap Fighting Championship, with its inaugural show scheduled for March 5 in Columbus, OH , as part of the Arnold Sports Festival. In the Main Event Showdown, Dawid "Zales" Zelewski will take on Koa "Da Crazy Hawaiian" Viernes for the SFC Super Heavyweight Title.
"The Arnold Sports Festival is about inspiring our fans to chase their dreams and find the sport that starts their fitness journey," Schwarzenegger said in a press release. "I can't wait to showcase the best punchers in the world on the main stage of our event and I'm really excited to introduce our fans to this wild sport with Logan."
According to the rules of slap fighting, 3 judges will judge the event. A knockout could also determine the winner. If a competitor cannot continue within 30 seconds of being slapped, they lose. The competitions consist of 3 rounds in total, with 1 slap allowed per competitor in each round.
"I love the absurdity of it," Paul said in a recent interview with US TODAY Sports. "I love the idea that two guys can just face each other and just hit each other and see who falls first. It's fun. It's like, how is this a real event? What the hell is this sport?”
A study confirms that the less you move, the more difficult it becomes
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Less exercise could deactivate a vital protein in the body, hampering your efforts to step up your future exercise, according to a report from England's University of Leeds.
Scientists discovered that inactivity leads to a "downward spiral" in part due to the deactivation of Piezo1, a protein that acts as a blood flow sensor. This leads to restricted blood flow, making future exercises more of a challenge. Experts believe these results confirm the old adage that the less you move, the harder it gets. It seems that physical activity is important to stimulate Piezo1, because when the levels go down, so does the power.
"Unfortunately, many people don't get enough exercise due to reasons such as injury or computer use," says the study's lead author, Fiona Bartoli. “This puts people at a higher risk of disease. The less people exercise, the less fit they become, which often leads to a downward spiral.”
So no excuses. Be ready to stay ready!
