edited by katie barnes. email: katiebarnes@leisuremedia.com
research round-up
a piece of the action
The simple act of exercising,
rather than necessarily even
achieving fi tness goals, can have
a positive effect on body image
W
hen it comes to body
image, just taking part
in exercise is enough
to convince you that
you look better, a new study from the
University of Florida has found. It’s said
that even those who don’t reach fi tness
goals – from toning up to running a
certain time or reaching a target weight
– can get as much of an exercise feelgood
buzz as those at the top of their game.
Study author Heather Hausenblas
says: “You would think that, if you were
to become more fi t, you’d experience
TIST’S MEMBER NAME
greater improvements in body image,
but that’s not what we found. It may .COM/AR
be that the requirements to receive
T
O
the psychological benefi ts of exercise,
including those for body image, differ OCKPHO
substantially from the physical benefi ts.” ©IST
Women in particular have an improved perception of body image after exercise
the study
The research consisted of a meta-analysis and pre-intervention fi tness levels. The student, Anna Campbell, is the fi rst
drawing together 57 studies – with pre exercise was coded according to type, to systematically analyse the effects of
and post data for exercise, as well as duration, length, frequency and intensity. exercise on body image.
control groups – that examined the By incorporating fi ndings from all
effects of physical activity on body image. intervention studies carried out on the results
The participants were grouped by the subject between 1972 and June Overall, the effect size – the
age, gender, ethnicity, body composition 2008, the study by Hausenblas and her contribution of exercise to improved
body image – was small, but results
showed that exercise did improve body
body image, exercise, gender and age image from pre- to post-intervention
compared to control groups.
A
lthough the study didn’t With regard to age, the researchers It was found that the duration of the
fi nd a signifi cant difference found exercise had a more signifi cant exercise, the number of weeks subjects
between gender and effect size, effect for adults than for young people had been exercising and the intensity of
Hausenblas says it’s “important to note of university age, or for elementary, a workout did not moderate the effect
that an [improved perception] of body middle and high school kids combined. size. However, those who exercised
image was found in more females than It’s believed these fi ndings may refl ect more frequently each week had a higher
males after exercise” – indeed, the the fact that “body dissatisfaction regard for they way their body looked.
non-signifi cance of the fi ndings was put continually increases across adolescents The difference relating to age and
down to the lack of studies focusing on ... female and male”; by the time gender are also worth noting (see left).
men. Hausenblas says more research is adulthood is reached, dissatisfaction For future studies, Hausenblas
needed on gender, exercise (especially has reached a level at which all can suggests examining the mechanisms
resistance training) and body image. benefi t from the exercise effect. and exercise dose response required
for a change in body image.
january 2010 © cybertrek 2010 Read Health Club Management online 55
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