A medical fact you may have heard of regarding your brain health is that you cannot biologically regrow more brain cells. Many times, we were told that your brain cells cannot grow back once they are lost whether in an accident or however, turned fact was proven otherwise by many studies. These studies showed that your brain keeps growing new neurons even in old age. However, do you know one thing that can make this growth even better?

It's long been known that exercise is good for your body, but it's also a powerful tool for your brain. When you work out, your muscles release a special chemical called BDNF, which stands for Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor.

In a recent video Robert W.B. Love, a neuroscientist, specializing in helping people prevent Alzheimer’s disease, he explained how Dr. Elizabeth Gould, a neuroscientist at Princeton, confirmed this by publishing studies showing that adult mammals can produce new brain cells in the hippocampus, the brain's memory center. As such there are also exercises that can help you better your BDNF.

Think of BDNF as a kind of fertilizer for your brain. It helps new brain cells and new connections between them grow and get stronger. By getting your muscles moving, you can boost the levels of BDNF throughout your body and directly in your brain, helping to keep it healthy and sharp as you age.

What is the Best Exercise for Brain Health

While all forms of exercise are great, new research suggests that resistance training, or weightlifting, is particularly effective. At a recent conference on aging, it was shared that this type of exercise releases the highest amount of BDNF compared to other exercises like running or cycling.

Having higher levels of BDNF in your body is linked to a lower risk of all kinds of diseases. It also supports healthy brain function and helps you age better. So, if you want to give your brain the biggest boost from exercise, start incorporating some form of resistance training into your routine.

Getting Started with Resistance Training

You don't need a gym membership to start doing resistance training. You can use simple exercises with your own body weight. For example, you can do squats, which are great for your legs, or push-ups, which work your arms and chest.

The main idea is to use your muscles by pushing or pulling against something. If you're new to this kind of exercise, it's a good idea to work with a coach or a trainer to make sure you're doing the moves safely and correctly. This will help you get the maximum benefit while preventing any injuries. Here are some exercises you can do at home according to British Heart Fedaration.

How to Get Started

To get the most out of strength training, experts recommend doing it at least twice a week, with at least one full day of rest in between sessions. These exercises should be done in addition to 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, like brisk walking.

Heel Raises

Stand and lift your heels off the floor, balancing on your toes, then slowly lower them back down.

Sit-to-Stand

Stand up slowly from a sturdy chair, then gradually sit back down without using your hands.

Standing Side Leg Lifts

Lift one leg out to the side while keeping your body straight, then slowly return it to the center.

Split Squats

With one foot behind you, bend your front knee to lower your body toward the floor.

Glute Bridges

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, then lift your hips off the floor.

Seated Forward Punches

While sitting, make fists and punch one arm forward at a time, alternating arms.

Seated Biceps Curls

Sit straight and bend your elbows to bring your hands toward your shoulders, then lower them back down.

Seated Upright Rows

Sit straight and lift your elbows up and out to the sides, as if lifting a shopping bag.

Chair Dips

Sit on the edge of a chair, place your hands on the seat, and lower your body a few inches before pushing back up.

Wall Push-ups

Stand facing a wall, place your hands on it, and lean your body in toward the wall by bending your elbows.

Cancer affects millions of people worldwide. No matter how careful you are or how healthily you live, cancer may catch you with you sooner or later. Breast cancer is the one of the leading causes of death in women and it was estimated to have caused 670,000 deaths globally and it also the most unpredictable. While there has been research done on it, according to the World Health Organization, half of the breast cancer occurs in women with no specific risk factor other than sex and age.

However, rehabilitation is also very possible, and many people have beaten the odds by surviving breast cancer. When someone goes into cancer remission, they are given some specific treatments so that the cancer does not come back. However, many times it is not as effective.

To find out better ways to keep cancer away, researchers looked into exercising, and focused one fitness program that could prove useful.

The August 2025 study, published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment journal, suggests that exercising may directly help suppress the growth of breast cancer cells. The research involved 32 women who'd survived breast cancer and found that a single session of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or weightlifting changed their body's chemistry.

Afterward, their blood contained higher levels of certain molecules that helped put the brakes on laboratory-grown breast cancer cells. This research adds to growing evidence that exercise is a powerful tool for cancer survivors.

How Exercise Works Against Cancer

For years, doctors have known that cancer survivors who exercise are less likely to have their cancer return. This new study helps explain why. When we use our muscles, they release special hormones and biochemicals called myokines into our bloodstream. These myokines are believed to be the body’s natural cancer fighters. In the study, blood taken from the women after they exercised was added to live cancer cells in a lab. The results were clear: the blood from both groups reduced cancer cell growth by 19% to 29%.

What Kind of Exercise is Best For Breast Cancer?

The study compared two types of workouts: HIIT and weightlifting. Both helped, but the blood from the women who did HIIT had a greater effect on the cancer cells, reducing their growth more significantly. This suggests that more strenuous, high-intensity workouts may be more effective at releasing the beneficial myokines, especially a key protein called IL-6. The study found that IL-6 levels were significantly higher in the HIIT group immediately after their workout.

This research has major implications for how we view exercise. It’s no longer just a "nice thing to do" to feel better; it's increasingly being recognized as a powerful tool in cancer treatment. The study's authors believe exercise could be a "first-line treatment" in its own right, alongside traditional therapies like chemotherapy and radiation. If you are a cancer survivor, you should talk to your oncologist before starting a new workout routine, but this study offers a hopeful message that working out can be a simple, accessible, and effective way to improve your health and cut the risk of cancer returning.

It happens during your morning jog, climbing stairs, or even standing up from a chair. A subtle click, pop, or grind echoes from your knee joint. For some, it’s background noise they’ve learned to ignore. For others, it’s a source of anxiety—“Is this arthritis? Am I damaging my knee every time I move?”

The phenomenon, known medically as knee crepitus, is surprisingly common. Studies show it affects 41 percent of the general population, and most of the time, it’s harmless. But in some cases, those noisy knees can signal something more serious. Let’s break down what science knows about knee crepitus, why it happens, and when it’s time to book an appointment with your doctor.

What Is Knee Crepitus?

Knee crepitus is the audible sounds—crackling, clicking, creaking, or grinding—when the knee joint is moving. These sounds can occur when bending the knee, squatting, going up and down stairs, or even walking. Scientists are still piecing together the definitive causes. The top theories are:

• Gas bubbles bursting in the synovial fluid that lubricates the knee.
• Tendons or ligaments snapping as they glide over bony surfaces.
• Cartilage alteration, particularly if the joint's smooth surface has commenced to deteriorate.

These sounds are frequently a normal consequence of movement and joint mechanics in most instances. The interesting aspect is that individuals with no history of knee injury or pain report the same noises.

A major review of over 100 studies, including more than 36,000 individuals, found knee crepitus in 36 percent of people who were not painful and had no recorded knee injury. Creaky knees, in short, are commonly normal.

Is Knee 'Clicking' Always Arthritis?

Among the most prevalent fears associated with noisy knees is osteoarthritis (OA), a degenerative joint condition that inflicts millions globally. Science confirms a correlation: up to 81 percent of those with osteoarthritis experience knee crepitus.

But the fact that crepitus is present doesn't necessarily equate to arthritis. One study of close to 3,500 older adults found that two-thirds of individuals who reported "always" having crepitus did not develop symptomatic arthritis in the next four years.

In younger adults, particularly in those recovering from knee injuries or surgery, crepitus can be more common. Other research indicates that such noises are attributed to early cartilage damage, especially around the kneecap area. Yet research also finds that noisy knees following injury do not necessarily mean poorer long-term prognosis.

Although crepitus is more prevalent in arthritis, it is not used as a diagnostic instrument in isolation. Pain, swelling, stiffness, or limited mobility are more powerful red flags that indicate medical evaluation.

When Should You Worry About Clicking Knees?

If your knees click but otherwise are okay, there typically isn't anything to worry about. There are some cases, though, where clicking knees need more scrutiny. Get medical advice if clicking or grinding is accompanied by:

• Ongoing or severe pain
• Swelling or redness near the joint
• A sense of instability or locking
• Notable stiffness or limited range of motion
• Other evidence of arthritis, including redness or ongoing pain

In such instances, a physician might suggest a physical examination, imaging tests, or referral to a specialist.

Treatment Options: What Works and What Doesn't?

Sorry, there's no silver bullet for knee crepitus itself. If the sound isn't painful and isn't interfering with your activities, no treatment is typically indicated. But if crepitus is associated with an overall problem of the knee, treatment is based on the underlying condition.

Home Remedies for 'Clicking' Knees

Exercise: Strenthening the quadriceps and surrounding muscles stabilizes the knee and decreases stress on the joint. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) advises partial squats and leg presses.

Weight control: Having a healthy body weight decreases pressure on the knees.

RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation): Useful if crepitus is associated with mild injury or inflammation.

Medical and Non-Invasive Treatments

Physical therapy: Customized regimens enhance strength, flexibility, and joint mechanics.

Topical NSAIDs: Gels such as diclofenac (Voltaren) may relieve pain associated with osteoarthritis.

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy: Currently under investigation, PRP injections can possibly alleviate pain and enhance function in osteoarthritis individuals.

Surgical Options

Only when other options do not work is surgery an option:

Arthroscopy: Minimal invasive surgery to fix damaged cartilage or excise loose pieces.

Osteotomy: Shaping bones to take pressure off the knee joint.

Knee replacement: Only for severe arthritis, this restores joint function and pain relief.

Why You Shouldn't Stop Moving?

One of the most harmful misconceptions about creaky knees is that exercise will make them worse. Actually, not moving can have the opposite effect. Exercise is important to keep joints healthy, improve mobility, and slow the progression of arthritis.

To quote one orthopedic specialist, "Joints are meant to move. Avoiding activity out of fear can cause muscle weakness, creaky joints, and in fact, escalate pain in the long term."

Knee crepitus is a normal occurrence that may be startling, but usually, it doesn't cause harm. Clicking knees without pain are usually never something to worry about. The important thing is to listen to what your body's saying, if the sound is accompanied by pain, swelling, or restricted function, then it's time to have it investigated.

If you’ve ever struggled to climb stairs the morning after leg day or winced while raising your arms after a tough upper-body session, you’ve experienced delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This soreness usually shows up 12–24 hours after a workout, peaking within two to three days. It’s the result of microscopic tears—known as microtears—in the muscle fibers. As your body repairs those small damages, inflammation occurs and causes the aching or stiffness.

Interestingly, soreness most frequently happens when you resume training after being off for a while, experiment with a new motion, or raise the intensity of your workouts. Your muscles get used to it over time, and soreness lessens.

Does Muscle Soreness Mean You're Getting Stronger?

Soreness is mistakenly linked to progress by many individuals due to the widespread "no pain, no gain" slogan. But muscle soreness is an unreliable indicator of fitness gains. What it really indicates is that your body has been faced with something new or more challenging. For example, an everyday runner is not likely to be sore after their normal mileage, but their cardiovascular fitness remains on the rise. Similarly, a weightlifter can gradually develop strength in their muscles without feeling the same amount of soreness that they felt when they were starting out.

Soreness doesn't equate to success. Your consistency, progressive training, and recovery dictate results.

Should You Work Out When You’re Still Sore?

Exercising with low-level soreness is typically okay, but it can have some impact on performance. Studies indicate DOMS temporarily decreases strength, balance, and even coordination. That is, you may not lift as much, run as quickly, or play as accurately if you persevere. For those with goals related to performance—be it running a faster 5K or excelling in a sport—it's worth considering the potential impact of soreness on outcomes.

But mild soreness isn't an excuse to altogether avoid training. Gentle activity, like a walk, yoga, or light swim, can actually enhance blood flow, which facilitates nutrients getting to your muscles and supports recovery. Avoid pushing through acutely painful, severe swelling, or long-term soreness lasting over a week—those are signs of an injury.

Do Rest Days Really Matter for Fitness?

There is widespread thinking that you have to alternate workout days with rest days in order to notice improvement. But a study examining the comparisons between training on consecutive days versus non-consecutive days revealed little disparity in long-term strength or endurance gains. That is to say, the body can adapt no matter whether you train back-to-back or with rest days in between.

All that being said, rest days may still be of use. They enable your body to recharge energy levels, provide muscles with additional time to recover, and, crucially, maintain motivation in the long term. For most individuals, incorporating rest days or reduced training sessions avoids burnout as well as the risk of overuse injuries.

Recovery Tools for Better Relief

When soreness persists, a lot of individuals resort to recovery hacks. Some are more effective than others:

• Fluids are important. Water supports the transportation of nutrients and the removal of waste products associated with inflammation.
• Foam rolling or massaging tools (self-myofascial release) can enhance blood flow in affected areas and decrease stiffness, though effects are small.
• Diet is important. Consuming protein- and carbohydrate-balanced meals within 30–60 minutes post-exercise aids in muscle repair and energy restoration.
• Sleep is not negotiable. Quality sleep is when most of the body's repair work happens. Cutting corners with sleep slows the recovery and builds up fatigue.
• Active recovery—such as a light bike ride, restorative yoga, or stretching workouts—is able to decrease discomfort by keeping the blood flowing.
• Other approaches, such as ice baths or compression clothing, have mixed outcomes in studies. Although they might offer temporary relief, they're not necessary for recovery unless you find them individually beneficial.

When Can Muscle Soreness be Something More?

It's worth noting when soreness is to be expected and when it may be covering an injury. If you experience intense soreness that persists beyond seven days, jabbing pain in a specific area, bruising that can be seen, or swelling, you should see a doctor. These may be signs of muscle strain, tear, or another cause.

Also, pushing through pain can do more harm than good. Unlike DOMS, which improves with time and light movement, injury-related pain typically worsens with activity.

We hear all the time that inflammation is bad, but in exercise, some inflammation is necessary. It's what tells your body to repair and rebuild muscle tissue more robust than ever before. Chronic inflammation, which is associated with disease, is bad. But the temporary inflammation produced by training is what makes training work. The trick is to give your body sufficient recovery so this process can finish.

Do Warm-Ups or Stretching Prevent Soreness?

Interestingly, static stretching prior to exercising does not avoid soreness and can even decrease strength for the short term. Dynamic warm-ups, however—exercises that simulate your workout, like lunges, arm circles, or jogging in place—can prep your muscles and possibly minimize soreness thereafter. However, this alleviation is small. The true advantage of a warm-up is actually preventing injuries and improving performance, not avoiding soreness.

Post-exercise soreness is normal to physical stress, and usually, it's nothing to worry about. The solution is found in balance: stressing your body sufficiently to force it to change, but allowing it enough time and resources to heal. If soreness is slight, light exercise can actually accelerate healing. If soreness is extreme, then rest and proper attention are your best friends.

Ultimately, the mantra shouldn’t be “no pain, no gain” but rather “train smart, recover smarter.” By paying attention to the signals your body sends, you’ll not only reduce your risk of injury but also set yourself up for consistent, sustainable progress