Peer pressure can keep you healthy. Hanging out with healthy friends could be the best way to keep fit.
A study of 3610 Australian women, published in BioMed Central's open access International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found that physical activity and healthy eating behavior were both strongly affected by social norms. Kylie Ball, from Deakin University, Australia, worked with a team of researchers to survey the 18-46 year old women. She said, "The importance of social environmental influences on health-promoting behaviors such as physical activity and healthy eating has been increasingly recognized. Benefits of outdoor exercise confirmed. A systematic review carried out by a team at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry has analysed existing studies and concluded that there are benefits to mental and physical well-being from taking exercise in the natural environment.
Their findings are published in the research journal Environmental Science and Technology on February 4th 2011. In the green of health: Just 5 minutes of 'green exercise' optimal for good mental health. How much "green exercise" produces the greatest improvement in mood and sense of personal well-being?
A new study in the American Chemical Society's semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology has a surprising answer. The answer is likely to please people in a society with much to do but little time to do it: Just five minutes of exercise in a park, working in a backyard garden, on a nature trail, or other green space will benefit mental health. Jules Pretty and Jo Barton explain in the study that green exercise is physical activity in the presence of nature. Abundant scientific evidence shows that activity in natural areas decreases the risk of mental illness and improves the sense of well-being. Until now, however, nobody knew how much time people had to spend in green spaces to get those and other benefits. They analyzed activities such as walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming.
Seeing green might make your workout better. Workout Nov. 15, 2012 at 3:25 PM ET By Lindsey Konkel MyHealthNewsDaily Working out in the great outdoors may produce more psychological benefits than hitting the gym, suggest researchers who say that "green exercise" may boost mood, self-esteem, motivation and enjoyment.
But according to a new study, the positive effects of green exercise may have more to do with the color green than with being surrounded by nature. The study is the first to show that the color green may contribute to the feel-good benefits of outdoor exercise, the researchers said. Spending time in nature makes people feel more alive, study shows. Feeling sluggish? The solution may require getting outside the box -- that big brick-and-mortar box called a building. Being outside in nature makes people feel more alive, finds a series of studies published in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of Environmental Psychology. And that sense of increased vitality exists above and beyond the energizing effects of physical activity and social interaction that are often associated with our forays into the natural world, the studies show. "Nature is fuel for the soul, " says Richard Ryan, lead author and a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester.
"Often when we feel depleted we reach for a cup of coffee, but research suggests a better way to get energized is to connect with nature," he says. The findings, adds Ryan, are important for both mental and physical health. In recent years, numerous experimental psychology studies have linked exposure to nature with increased energy and heightened sense of well-being. Memory Improved 20% by Nature Walk. New study finds that short-term memory is improved 20% by walking in nature, or even just by looking at an image of a natural scene.
I’m sitting in front of the computer and I’ve been working too hard for too long without a break. My brain feels like it’s filling with wet cardboard. In fact what I’m doing isn’t writing any more, it’s just typing. I go to the kitchen, stand there for a moment, can’t remember what I’ve come in for, feel foolish, then eat a biscuit. It doesn’t help. Time for a walk. Most of us are aware that a quick walk around the block does wonders for the mind. Communing with nature Marc G. The results showed that people’s performance on the test improved by almost 20% after wandering amongst the trees. Aerobic exercise bests resistance training at burning belly fat. Aerobic exercise is your best bet when it comes to losing that dreaded belly fat, a new study finds.
When Duke University Medical Center researchers conducted a head-to-head comparison of aerobic exercise, resistance training, and a combination of the two, they found aerobic exercise to be the most efficient and most effective way to lose the belly fat that's most damaging to your health. This isn't the fat that lies just under your skin and causes the dreaded muffin top. Belly or abdominal fat -- known in scientific communities as visceral fat and liver fat -- is located deep within the abdominal cavity and fills the spaces between internal organs. It's been associated with increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, and certain kinds of cancer. The Duke study showed aerobic training significantly reduced visceral fat and liver fat, the culprit in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. "Resistance training is great for improving strength and increasing lean body mass," says Slentz.