Today's interesting blogs:

     Did your cat ever sit on your chest, get in your face, and smell your breath?  They like to do that, but it always leaves you wondering what they are smelling.  According to this blog from www.medicalnewstoday.com, the chemical signature of exhaled breath is unique to each individual. This can be used in diagnosis.  Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners have been doing this for a long time.   Dogs and cats can be trained to distinguish patients with certain types of cancers.  Portable non-invasive mass spectrometers are being developed to test exhaled breath, and will be competitive with blood and urine testing to aid in diagnoses in the future.
      http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/258612.php

   
     The next interesting article comes from www.runnersworld.com regarding the activitystat hypothesis.  According to this, there is a more or less fixed level of activity humans accomplish in a day;  that if you do a long workout in the morning, you will curtail your activity for the rest of the day. The article discusses a study done on school-age children in phys-ed classes trying to increase that fixed activity level.  It seems that with specialized instruction, the activity levels didn't change much, but the health outcomes improved.
      The part that interested me was the idea of having an internal activitystat.  I've noticed it in myself.  On the days I workout, I have no desire or energy to do yardwork or active house-cleaning, for example.  It is comforting to know that it isn't just my own laziness holding me back, but my internal activity-clock. I am always looking for ways to increase my own activity levels. It looks like quality, rather than quantity may be the answer.  
     http://www.runnersworld.com/health/school-phys-ed-and-activitystat-hypothesis


     Lastly, here is an article from www.sportsgeezer.com regarding the controversy of stretching...pro or con.  This reflects research showing that static stretching can leave you weak.  It can decrease strength by 5.5%.  I am torn....flexibility is important as we age, as is strength.  Yoga, which accomplishes stretching, has been around for centuries.  I think I will continue with doing occasional stretching.
     http://sportsgeezer.com/2013/stretching-leaves-you-weak/