Exercise enhances body image, says study

We often associate exercise merely with the improvement in one's physical health. However, recent research shows that exercise has many other benefits, particularly enhancing self confidence and reducing anxiety while building emotional strength.

On the mental and psychological benefits of exercising, psychologists stated that energy spent towards getting in shape can convince individuals that they look better – even if it has not melted the pounds away.

Heather Hausenblas a psychologist, from the University of Florida, who carried out the research explained, "You would think that if you become more fit that you would experience greater improvements in terms of body image, but that's not what we found.

“It may be that the requirements to receive the psychological benefits of exercise, including those relating to body image, differ substantially from the physical benefits.”

Analysis of 57 studies
Hausenblas and Anna Campbell analyzed 57 studies to understand the impact of exercise on a person’s physical image.

The researchers found no drastic difference in body image improvement between those who exercised for 30 minutes a day, five days a week and those who had a laid back fitness regime.

“We would have thought that people exercising this amount would have felt better about their bodies than those who did not work out as much,” Hausenblas said

However, the study found that women felt slightly better about their bodies than men through exercise.

“We believed the gap would be much bigger, but what could be coming into play is the rise of body image issues among men. We’re seeing more media portrayals of the ideal physique for men rather than the overriding emphasis on women we did in the past,” Hausenblas said.

Exercise vital to quell negative body image
Negative body images persist in a large section of the society with nearly 60 percent of the people unhappy with their physical appearance.

In an effort to attain a phenomenal new body, people struggle and slog through diets, shelling out millions for cosmetic procedures to change their body shape and size.

“Body dissatisfaction is a huge problem in our society and is related to all sorts of negative behaviour including yo-yo dieting, smoking, taking steroids and undergoing cosmetic surgery.

"It affects men and women and all ages, starting with kids who are as young as five years old saying they don’t like how their bodies look,” said Hausenblas.

According to the researchers, body image is internal and subjective. They feel that making physical activity a part of a daily routine is an easy and effective way to raise spirits, irrespective of absence of dramatic health benefits. It is a way to ensure that the mind, body, and soul are being nourished on a daily basis.

Kathleen Martin Ginis, a kinesiology professor at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada stated, "This is an important study because it shows that doing virtually any type of exercise, on a regular basis, can help people feel better about their bodies.

"With such a large segment of the population dissatisfied with their physiques, it's encouraging to know that even short, frequent bouts of lower intensity exercise can improve body image."

The details of the findings are published in the September issue of the Journal of Health Psychology.