• According to preliminary research presented at the annual meeting for the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior in Utrecht, Netherlands, regular aerobic exercise like riding can help your brain function more optimally by regulating its response to insulin. • Insulin response can play a role in perceptions of hunger, suggesting that improving insulin sensitivity through exercise can help control weight, too.

The Versa is Fitbit’s sleekest smartwatch you can wear all day (and night). Though the squircle-shaped accessory doesn’t have built-in GPS, riding with a phone will allow you to track your pace, distance, and route stats in the FitBit app. Strap on the lightweight watch to get Strava access, or use Fitbit pay (included in the Special Edition) to grab some midride fuel. You can also track your every waking and sleeping move without feeling tethered to a charger—this tracker has four days of batt

It’s possibly the most underutilized—and often forgotten about—piece of gym equipment: the jump rope. You might’ve played with one as a kid, but when’s the last time you incorporated this secret weapon into a workout? You’ve heard that jumping rope can be a good workout, but how good a workout, really? That’s what one Runner’s World reader asked in an Instagram story callout for questions—can a jump rope session really take the place of a run if you can’t pound the pavement that day? We tapp

There are few things that scream “summer” more than a refreshing slice of juicy watermelon. But it turns out, you should actually be incorporating this hydrating fruit into your diet on the regular. The research shows that there are many benefits of watermelon we should take advantage of, so we tapped a dietitian to find out why you should feel good about grabbing some watermelon before or after your next workout. Watermelon is made up of mostly—you guess it—water, about 90 percent to be exac

• A report from the New Food Economy found that molded-fiber bowls used by the likes of Chipotle, Sweetgreen, and Dig contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. • PFAS are manmade chemicals that have been linked to many health problems, such as cancer, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and liver damage. • While you may not actually have to worry about direct contamination from the bowl to your food, the “forever chemicals” in the bowl will eventually end up in the environment.

• A study published in the Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine looked at the effects of a keto diet on exercise efficiency and running speed. • During moderate intensity runs, the participants’ exercise efficiency stayed the same as they did when they ate their normal diet. But when they performed more intense runs on the keto diet, it decreased. • Their running speed also decreased by 5 percent on the keto diet in comparison to their normal eating plan.

The RW Takeaway: These lightweight, buttery soft shorts will keep your thighs from chafing during a long run in the heat. • Two side pockets and three waistband pockets. • Long length is on-trend and saves you from any chafing. Editor’s note: After an outcry from readers who voiced the Gore R7 three-inch inseam was too short to negate chafing, we researched and tested bottoms that have more coverage while still keeping you cool on summer runs. With a 10-inch inseam, we understand the Lululemon

• Jessica Anderson was ineligible for the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon run in a nurse’s uniform at the London Marathon because her scrubs did not meet current record requirements for what the uniform should look like, she was told. • Her London Marathon time of 3:08:22 was faster than the current record time of 3:08:54, which was set in 2015. • The Guinness World record requires that participants wear must include a blue or white dress, a pinafore apron, and a traditional nurs

• A new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that skipping breakfast and eating a late dinner can lead to worse outcomes after a heart attack. • People with those eating habits were five times more likely to die, have another heart attack, or experience chest pains 30 days after their hospital discharge.

• Research presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Glasgow, Scotland, linked obesity and sedentary car-commuting to early death and increased risk of death from heart disease. • Obese individuals who commute by car had a 32 percent higher risk of early death than healthy-weight individuals who commute by cycling or walking. • Normal-weight car commuters had a 21 percent higher risk for early death compared to their active commuting counterparts.

A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when anthocyanin was added to one’s diet, it slowed lung-function decline in older adults. Consuming two or more servings of blueberries a week was associated with the slowest rate of annual decline in lung function.

• A video posted over the weekend on Twitter has gone viral, racking up over 21.3 million views. It shows a woman pouring dish soap on her floor and using the slippery surface as a makeshift treadmill. • Not surprisingly, that is not the best way to get an at-home workout in. The do-anywhere moves below can help you get your heart rate up in a less dangerous and more effective way. Plenty of people don’t want to pay for a gym membership, or don’t have time to make it every day, which means imp

• A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that people who did not eat breakfast were 87 percent more likely to die from cardiovascular disease and stroke than those who ate breakfast every day. • If you have a morning ride planned, either eat your breakfast about two hours beforehand to prevent GI issues, or eat something smaller to hold you over until you are done. In the ongoing debate about whether breakfast is best, new data is pointing towards some

• The London Marathon aims to be waste-free by 2020. This year, the race will work toward that goal by giving runners biodegradable seaweed pods instead of single-use cups at one aid station. • Other aid stations on the course will give runners compostable cups. • This will be the largest trial of the Ooho! plastic-bottle alternative, according to race officials. After the athletes cross the finish and excitement of any marathon has died down, what’s left is an aftermath of waste. Bottles and

• Sunscreen may have protective benefits that go beyond guarding against skin cancer, new research suggests. • A preliminary study presented at the American Physiological Society annual meeting found that wearing sunscreen can help protect the skin’s blood vessel function—important for body temperature regulation—from harmful ultraviolet radiation exposure. Out for a long ride in the sun? Don’t forget to apply—and reapply—your sunscreen. There may be more protective benefits of sunscreen when

As Joseph Henson entered the final straightaway of the Mercedes Half Marathon in Birmingham, Alabama, back in February, he knew he probably should’ve stopped, but the crowd kept pushing him on. For the last four miles of the race, he started feeling his heart flutter—like palpitations—but didn’t think anything of it at first. But it kept getting worse, and by the time he hit the end, he started feeling very strange. After he crossed the finish (in 2:18:21), he told his brother he felt like he

Michael Besson has witnessed the Boston Marathon from his couch for decades. Ever since he moved to Boston from his home country of Haiti in 1985, the race was something he dreamed of completing one day. But there were a few road blocks. In addition to being visually impaired since birth by congenital cataracts and microphthalmia—a condition that causes abnormally small eyeballs—Besson was also over 500 pounds, the result of a lack of exercise and years of consuming greasy and salty foods.

• Michael Phelps might be the most decorated Olympian of all time, but he decided to stay in his own lane when it comes to racing. • Last year, he ran a Turkey Trot, and recently told NBC Sports that running the 5K was the “worst idea in the world.” Swimmer Michael Phelps may have 23 Olympic gold medals to his name, but it looks like he has decided not to expand his racing repertoire. Phelps recently revealed in an interview with NBC Sports that last year he attempted a 5K on Thanksgiving—and

Running with your phone can be tricky business, which is why you need a protective case. While you want it securely in your grip for easy access to your favorite running apps, group chats, or camera, carrying it can also be a big risk. Example: You might get distracted by your crazy-fast mile split, hit a divot and—gasp—your phone goes flying onto the trail. While these cases, highly rated by Amazon reviewers, won’t keep you from stumbling when an important notification comes in, they will keep

Running with your phone can be tricky business, which is why you need a protective case. While you want it securely in your grip for easy access to your favorite running apps, group chats, or camera, carrying it can also be a big risk. Example: You might get distracted by your crazy-fast mile split, hit a divot and—gasp—your phone goes flying onto the trail. While these cases, highly rated by Amazon reviewers, won’t keep you from stumbling when an important notification comes in, they will keep