#56 02/04/14

MIND OVER MUSCLES

If you're lazy and not in good physical shape, then Dr. Guang Yue, an exercise physiologist, has come up with a theory that might be of interest of you. His extraordinary discovery is that the strength of our muscles can be improved without the need for physical activity. No longer do we have to go for long swims or have hard workouts in the gym. It may seem improbable, but he says we can build up our muscles simply by thinking about exercise.

In Dr. Yue's research, volunteers imagined they were moving their little fingers sideways, and found that the power of mind was enough to increase strength in those finger muscles. Then he asked volunteers to pretend to themselves that they were moving their arm muscles in five training sessions a week. Remarkably, these volunteers experienced a rapid increase in the strength of their arms.

But sports psychologists say that, while this research is significant, muscle strength is only one aspect of exercise, and we shouldn't cut out aerobic activity. We still need to look after our hearts by taking exercise that raises our heart rate to 70% of its maximum for 20 minutes, three times a week. It would be worrying if people thought that exercise was useless, and that they could keep fit while slumped on a sofa just thinking about exercise