From the ArcaMax Publishing, Parents Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/parents/s-369763-473024
DALLAS (UPI) -- Telling coach potatoes to think of ways they could
increase exercise performance led to a boost in cardiovascular
fitness, U.S. researchers said.
Laura L. Ten Eyck of the Children's Medical Center in Dallas, along
with Dana P. Gresky and Charles G. Lord, studied 61 college students
who did not exercise on a regular basis or exercised inconsistently.
The researchers asked some students to think of a list of reasons why
they should increase the performance of a target cardiovascular
exercise such as being healthier. Other participants were asked to
list actions they could take to increase exercise performance, such a
joining a gym or working out with a friend.
Having the students for eight weeks bring to mind and list actions
they could take to increase exercise performance led to an increase in
exercise and improved cardiovascular fitness. However, having students
repeatedly bring to mind the reasons why they should do the target
exercise did not increase time spent exercising, the researchers said.
The study is published in the Journal of Applied Biobehavioral
Research.