Exercise and First Impressions

Do you exercise? If so, people see you as ''a harder worker, more confident, and [as having] more self-control'' than non-exercisers, according to a recent issue of the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology.

Dr. Kathleen A. Martin and colleagues at McMaster University in Ontario asked 627 Canadian men and women to rate the personality and physical attributes of individuals based on a brief description that included the person's gender and exercise habits.

Unlike exercisers, who were perceived to be healthy, muscular and sexually attractive, non-exercisers were perceived to be sickly, scrawny, and sexually unattractive.

Non-exercisers were also believed to have fewer friends and be less smart, brave, neat and happy.

Why such radical differences in perception? ''We suspect that knowledge of the physical benefits of exercise had a positive effect on raters' impressions of exercisers' physical attributes,'' researchers write.

These results complicate the problem of trying to get people to exercise: If they know exercise is beneficial and can make someone healthier and more sexually attractive, why don't most people exercise regularly?

In an earlier study, Martin and her team found that negative stereotypes of overweight women could be overcome if a woman was thought of as an exerciser.

She urges people to ''be aware that there are potent social benefits associated with exercise - that is, people will think more positively of you just by virtue of your exercise habits.''


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Are You Getting Enough Exercise?

Only one in four U.S. adults get the recommended amount of daily exercise, which is 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week, or 20 minutes of vigorous activity three days per week.

Even worse: Nearly one in three Americans admits they don’t exercise at all.

The culprits? High-stress jobs and an abundance of sedentary distractions, such as cable television and the Internet, according to some experts.

Sandra Ham, a statistician with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), believes Americans see exercise as an inconvenience, an attitude which is closely linked to inactivity and obesity, which kills 180,000 Americans each year. And that number is rising.

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Exercise Lifts Spirits of Frail Elderly Adults

Exercise, whether in the form of strength training, stretching or walking, can provide a much-needed emotional boost to frail, elderly men and women, say researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo.

And this benefit comes without the cost of additional pain or discomfort.

More than 1,700 elderly adults, all of whom were frail and at risk of fall-related injuries, took part in exercise programs at four sites across the United States.

Activities focused on balance training, muscular strength and endurance exercises, and stretching.

Researchers discovered that participants experienced a marked improvement in emotional health overall and, specifically, in how they felt about themselves.

Lead researcher Dr. Kenneth B. Schectman was particularly encouraged by the fact that study subjects did not experience an increase in pain or discomfort as a result of participating in these activities.

This is significant given that many older adults live with painful conditions such as arthritis, which may make them wary of exercise. Even so, he cautions all older adults to consult with their physicians before beginning an exercise program.

Additional studies are planned to determine the optimal type, frequency and intensity of exercise needed to provide this emotional boost to this growing population.

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Jog Your Bones Stronger

Joggers have it made. Not only do they tend to weigh less, be nonsmokers, have fewer chronic health problems and enjoy better overall health than their non-jogging peers, they have stronger bones as well.

These are the findings of a recent study of 4,254 black, Mexican-American and white males that took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Those who reported jogging at least once per month (about 900 men) had higher bone density than their sedentary counterparts. And those who jogged nine or more times per month had the greatest bone density.

In this case, more may not necessarily be better, as those who reported jogging 20 or more times per month had about the same bone density as less frequent joggers.

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Intermittent Stair Climbing Improves Fitness

In a recent study, British researchers confirmed that some exercise is better than nothing.

Researchers found that for sedentary people, even a few minutes of daily stair climbing - a vigorous but easily accessible form of exercise - can improve cardiovascular health.

Previous studies have shown that accumulating short bouts of exercise can make a difference; this one shows just how short those bouts can be.

Twenty-two sedentary college-aged women walked up 199 steps - more than you’re likely to find at home, but doable in a high-rise - in 2.25 minutes, a “brisk but comfortable” pace which shot their heart rates up to 90 percent of their predicted maximum.

They progressed from one ascent per day during the first week to six ascents per day, for a total of 13.5 minutes over the course of a day, during the sixth and seventh weeks.

By the end of this modest exercise program, the women were measurably more fit: Heart rate, oxygen uptake and blood lactate levels during climbing were reduced, and their HDL (''good'') cholesterol levels had increased.


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Top Six Fitness Myths

With so much health and fitness information coming from so many different sources, it's no wonder people are confused.

What does it take to get fit? Will crunches get rid of my spare tire? What’s the best way to lose weight? These are the types of questions ACE-certified Fitness Professionals hear on a daily basis.

More than 1,500 ACE-certified Professionals responded to our request for the most pervasive myths and misconceptions about exercise.

Here are their top six responses.

Women who lift weights will get bulky muscles.
Spot reducing is possible.
No pain, no gain.
Exercise requires a hefty time commitment.
If you exercise, you can eat whatever you want.
There’s a magic bullet (quick fix) out there somewhere.

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Some Fats Are Actually Better Than Others

Trans fat, found in fried and processed foods, may be worse for the heart than the saturated fat found in meats and dairy products.

Researchers in the Netherlands compared the effect of trans and saturated fats on the cholesterol levels and blood vessel functioning of 29 healthy adults.

Participants followed a diet comprised of 9.2 percent of total calories from trans fat for four weeks, then switched to a diet of the same proportion of saturated fat.

When compared to the saturated fat diet, the trans fat diet reduced blood vessel function, which is measured by how readily the vessels dilate in response to blood flow, by 29 percent and lowered HDL (good) cholesterol level by 20 percent.

It is estimated that trans fat accounts for four percent of dietary fat intake, much of it hidden in foods such as store-bought cookies and crackers and fast-food fare.


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Melrose Fitness Together
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