No matter how physically ready I am for a race, there is no way I will do well without the right mental state. My sport, swimming, is measured to the hundredth of a second, but the difference is in seconds when I have a good mental state versus a bad one.
It makes total sense for weight loss to have a correlation to personal thought and belief. The body cannot trick or convince the brain of anything, the brain will always have complete, unchecked power over the body. These women most likely did not miraculously lose weight simply from knowing they were actually exercising, but I feel confident in my opinion that this new knowledge improved their self-confidence and respect, which steered them into healthier eating habits, even unconsciously. Emotional eating is something that many of us do without even realizing it when something is going wrong or we don't feel as good about ourselves as we should, but it will quickly be reduced, and even stopped when we start to feel even a little better, like these ladies must have when they realized their exercise levels were above average. The hormones the article mentions proves that the brain is in complete control of how the body feels and acts.
2
seems like fertile ground for malcom gladwell to investigate. maybe has something to do with those "igorvectors" he discovered
If the hotel room attendants lost weight and body fat but had the same amount of exercise, then they consumed fewer calories. Weight gain or loss is not a mysterious process - it is not determined by beliefs. The conclusions drawn from the second study also seem suspect. The correlation of early death with the group who believed they were more inactive than others likely has nothing to do with their beliefs about exercise, but is much more likely related to a negative outlook in general, and this negative outlook could be warranted, given that the study can't really control for all of the "factors" that contribute to a person's outlook.
You guys/gals are why I read the comments. Much more fun! Thank you!
1
The Times is still trying to make us "mindful".
More proof of the mind-body connection (the mind part is most important).
3
...but without the body, where is mind? No matter. Never mind.
2
I'm disappointed that this article, which deals principally with longevity and mindsets, carries a title about waistlines. Healthy bodies can look all different ways, and many people, maybe even most, don't need to have a narrow waist to be healthy. Similarly, losing weight often isn't the same as improving health. Disguising the article as advice for losing weight and slimming down might drive more clicks, but it's hardly going to help fix our culture's mistaken assumption that thinness is equal to health.
4
I think this article basically illustrates the importance of a positive state of mind on physical health.
That said, along with more energy, strength and stamina, I get a psychological boost from exercising regularly.
2
I'm satisfied with watching Leave it to Beaver reruns. Go figure.
Let's start a study / contest between two groups of people and try to see which group can think it is exercising more than the other group more.
3
Genes determine our longevity, but disease and accidents have now been replaced by diet and exercise as the principle determinants of whether we die sooner than genetically-ordained.
3
ok, we get it already, please no more articles.
4
Do you have to read them??
1
Physical labor is called physical labor for a reason. Only the privileged believe hotel housekeepers do not get more exercise than most.
8
My back hurts from doing what I do. Is that what they call "labor pain?"
Did you read before posting? The hotel housekeepers did NOT think they were exercising.
1
I just want to die in good health.
12
The original paper says: " Individuals who perceived themselves as less active than others were up to 71% more likely to die in the follow-up period than those who perceived themselves as more active." LESS active. But the NYT article says "Risk of early death was up to 71 percent higher than for the group that, correctly or not, felt confident that they exercised more than their peers." MORE active.
Correction, please!
4
The sentence is not inaccurate.
Risk of early death was up to 71 percent higher [among those we have been discussing, who perceived themselves as being less active] THAN for the group that....
That said, it is a bad sentence, as I also had to read it a few times.
3
This sentence is clearly inaccurate. The word "more" should be "less" for the sentence to make any sense at all in the context of this article....
"Risk of early death was up to 71 percent higher than for the group that, correctly or not, felt confident that they exercised more than their peers."
Submitting this correction constitutes 50% of my exercise today, and I'm confident it is way above the norm for people of my age, occupation, etc.
7
Thanks for this! I had to re-read the passage twice myself
Aha! We caught them. Can't trust anybody :-)
...and lost twice as much weight??
How are "dying early" and "early death" defined?
I'm 87 years old and have always been much more sedentary than most people.
5
It is a probability distribution ... it seems you are fortunate to be in the far right tail.
1
I doubt if any of these commentators even approximate the far right, Dave.
Time to start pretending that I'm going to the gym, but not going. Then pretend I went. And eat less.
8
I dreamed I did a triathlon, and I felt much better for it this morning.
4
I dreamed that I ran a marathon last night.
I'm taking it easy because my legs are still kind of sore.
2
This article says nothing about eating less, Dave. As you were.
Did they measure the belief or the words about an alleged belief? No one has ever seen, heard, or touched a belief. He picked up his belief went home! No we can’t say that. He picked up his cat and went home. Yes. Making belief identical to words about a alleged entity like belief involves an unresolved gap that deligitimizes the claim. It is not a justified claim in accord with the empirical standards of science. We cannot conclude with confidence that the claim is about the way things are. It remains an opinion or, if you will, a belief!!
4
Most Americans think they live in a glorious democracy too. Eat good quality food. Eat less than you think you need. Avoid junk food. Move your body as much as you can and yes, walking counts.
2
Walking counts only if you use a pedometer, EB.
I enjoyed thinking about how the mindfulness surrounding this can work. Like others I think that the 71% (!) increased longevity benefit is probably exaggerated and not subject to replication. But I'm an older person with accelerating arthritis -toes, ankles, knees, hips, neck, hands, fingers- a herniated lumbar disk -and I still incorporate both regular, scheduled exercise and opportunistic exercise. I go to the pool 6X a week and either swim 30 minutes or take the mildest water aerobics for 45-60 minutes. The so called aquatic boot camps or high intensity aggravate the herniated disk which makes it a stupid pursuit. But I also climb stairs at home and at work. People ask me , " Why don't you park at the back of the building and avoid those stairs ?" These people are often 100 pounds overweight. I admit to 20 pounds over but I'm also 20 years older. I also chase a toddler all weekend. This is significant exercise-lifting, picking up and down, running after... I have a dog to walk. I hate vacuuming and dusting baseboards but both are exercise and I try to incorporate the mindfulness suggested here. Overall a good article. Thanks.
4
If you chase the dog AND the toddler, you'll lose twice as much weight. Consuelo. De nada.
Certainly my doctor's belief that their job is worth a lot of money seems to be working....
4
"...HIS job..." otherwise nailed.
Brian, 35% of practicing physicians are women, and this year more than half of students accepted to medical school were female.
Not HIS job anymore.
"her" job. That's why some of us use "their."
The premise is ridiculous, and has me concerned about exactly who our universities are allowing to become researchers. But I understand the theme, positive thinking is good. I've seen more in-depth Facebook personality quizzes, no offense.
3
The premise isn't ridiculous at all.
But it is. Sounds like a post hoc explanation for a finding no one could interpret.
Considering that simply believing a sugar pill is medication can have a therapeutic effect, it's not so ridiculous that how much you think you work out could impact your metabolism.
Nobody is saying that a 300 lb person who sits on the couch and eats big macs all day is gonna drop 50 lbs by imagining that standing up to go to the bathroom is a huge workout.
2
Ya, this explains why my grandmother lived to 89 and NEVER exercised. She died a few years after my father nagged her to be more active.
Yes, like my aunt who lived to 95 and also NEVER exercised. She did have dementia however. That's why I go to the gym at 83, to avoid the dementia. I'd like to know about a belief system that can prevent THAT!
Do you still hold him responsible? Remember, he once held you.
Unfortunately, that doesn't prevent you from running into demented people. Especially if you're near Berkeley.
In other words, just convince yourself that you're exercising more than average and you'll live longer.
It reminds me of a study published a while ago based on a group of nuns. The study had determined that nuns who had written more upbeat texts about themselves when they were young were less likely to die from Alzheimer decades later (the study had used a trove of essays that young nuns had to write when they were about to take holy orders if I remember well).
A couple of weeks later, The Onion had an article about "How to write like a happy nun"...
1
Please. Let's have nun of that. (Sorry. Low-hanging fruit.)
I guess everyone has their own "facts" I have a blog on the results of exercise from many studies and they all show amazing differenced in those that do and those that don't.
In a study of Identical twins, one exercised regularly the other did not. Diets were the same.
Then they compared the twins’ results.
It turned out that these genetically identical twins looked surprisingly different beneath the skin and skull. The sedentary twins had lower endurance capacities, higher body fat percentages, and signs of insulin resistance, signaling the onset of metabolic problems. (Interestingly, the twins tended to have very similar diets, whatever their workout routines, so food choices were unlikely to have contributed to health differences.)
The twins’ brains also were unalike. The active twins had significantly more grey matter than the sedentary twins, especially in areas of the brain involved in motor control and coordination.
Presumably, all of these differences in the young men’s bodies and brains had developed during their few, brief years of divergent workouts, underscoring how rapidly and robustly exercising changes our cells.
For most cancers, people who reported exercising moderately, even if the time that they spent exercising was slight, had significantly less risk of developing 13 different types of cancer than people who were sedentary.
See letswakeupfolks.blogspot.com-exercise
The first thing that came to mind after reading this piece was The Music Man's Professor Harold Hill and his "Think System" for learning to play a band instrument. No need for music lessons just think positively and the music will happen. So this evening when I am falling asleep I will remind myself to wake up feeling 10 years younger and appear to be a lot thinner. Why wasn't I told about this years ago?
3
In a word: "Shipoopi." Hope that settles it for you, Larry.
Could it be that it's just a manifestation of self-confidence in general that helps to overcome depression and related to it negative health effects?
2
Every time I read one of these health articles in the NYTs I first think, well, I'm doomed. Articles are less detailed for obvious reasons, so they often give the impression that the finding are stronger than they really were. The study fairly acknowledges that "cause" cannot be ascertained from the findings, only that there is a relation, but the results suggest to the authors that the belief one exercises less (particularly a lot less) than others increases mortality (by how much I couldn't tell). They acknowledge there is fuzziness with how these feelings may measure up against reality, although there is only so much they can do in a study and I'm not criticizing the methods. But, the study used four models and the two in which actual activity was used as a co-variate (tables 3 and 4), the correlation seemed to almost disappear. It would seem to me that would be very important. I also didn't see correlations with expectations of early mortality. I'd think that be important too. Also, I couldn't tell whether the interviewers or subjects knew what was being studied, which I'd think would also be very important. Last, all psych studies should remind us that they are often later contradicted.
Right or wrong, I'm going to the gym. But a blueberry danish first in case belief that we enjoy what we eat turns out to be important too. Covering all bases.
Mice that think they’re smarter than other mice live a lot longer, too.
4
Physicians continue to rediscover the placebo effect, never having bothered to read the psychological literature on the placebo or on hypnosis. Here we go again. This is why we have double blind studies. Let physicians reinvent the wheel once again, unable to believe that minds and bodies aren't separate "entities."
1
This study seems to have been done by PhDs - Alia Crum is a psychologist. Does your same level of disdain still apply?
1
I think, at least half the time, people would be healthier just getting the placebo, Lake. Or at least a sugar pill which would put a smile on their face.
1
It does for me, particularly if they can't prescribe Adderall.
Dang, so much negativity in the comments. Maybe give it another shot? Ellen Langer did a similar study with women who worked as housekeepers decades ago, and with the same result. She went from there to discuss Mindfulness and it's advantages to us humans. It's the simple idea that your thoughts can affect your body. Look her up and learn.
17
I don't see what you did, although maybe you read more comments than I. Don't mistake cynicism or analysis for negativity.
Women WERE houseskeepers decades ago. Now they're not so much, but the house is a mess and the kids rule the roost. And, yes, I Like Ike.
I believe I have already exercised enough today to merit pizza and Zinfandel for dinner. Thanks!
15
Did they exercise more once they knew they were already exercising? Did they eat less because they felt confident that they COULD live a healthy life, given that they already were exercising? Two answers that would probably change the storyline from, “think your way to weight loss!” As it reads now, this research is likely to appear in the next edition of Rhonda Byrne’s, “The Secret”
2
I live in Colorado, land of the thinnest, most exercise oriented people. But, secretly, I've always thought my rambunctiously outdoorsy friends (older) were harming themselves. Many of them are on their second and third orthopedic surgery, to my none. Thank you for reaffirming my joints and connective tissues' superiority complex. Even the reverse thinking holds true!
12
Thanks for pointing this out. I moved to Colorado two years ago and have run into more than a few people my age (mid-60s) who, after various tears, breakages and replacements, still take outdoor sports very seriously. Non-competitive hiking and walking outdoors, yoga and dance indoors, have served my joints, tissues, and outlook well, in many different climates.
The health service at our university required us to submit to an interview which was a survey of our physical activities. Although I ride a bike to work except during snowstorms when I walk to and from the EL, and take the stairs to and from my 4th floor office, I was told to get more exercise because I did not indicate on the questionnaire that I went to the gym for exercise on a regular basis. I also do a lot of yard work. Like the work of the housekeeping staff apparently snow shoveling is not considered exercise.
24
The belief that one isn't getting enough exercise clearly correlates with depression, which might account for the difference in mortality rates, and not the belief itself. As is so often the case, a little science can be a dangerous thing...
7
I think this has more to do with a general chipper sense of buoyancy and well being rather than whether one thinks one exercises or not.
3
I think this article and these particular studies do more harm than good. They confuse the issue. The important point that is well established is that real physical activity is important to health and longevity.
The article says, "They found a strong correlation between people’s dying early and their believing that they were relatively inactive, even if their accelerometer data indicated that they were getting as much exercise as others their age in this group." What does "dying early" mean here? Compared to others in the study? Compared to all people their age in the country? Are we talking about a few months, a few years, a decade? How early?
It's a well known fact that most people don't get nearly enough exercise, and this shortens many lives. If you are already in ill health partly on account of not getting enough exercise, it stands to reason that you would be more likely to feel that you are not getting as much exercise as you should. Your peers who are equally sedentary may well die sooner than they should, but maybe not as soon as you simply because they are not yet suffering as many symptoms of ill health as you.
1
Except the people in the study did get a lot of exercise.
1
I wonder if one possible factor could be that different people need different amounts of exercise?
Perhaps those who feel they aren't getting as much exercise as their peers feel that way because they need more exercise and don't feel good at the level they manage to get.
While those who feel they exercise more than their peers but don't exercise more actually need less exercise, but feel good because they need less. Since they feel good and know exercise makes you feel good, they think they're getting more than average?
2
When I retired I did decide to view as "exercise" those frustrating trips back upstairs, to get something I left behind. Once middle aged forgetfulness enhances ordinary absent-mindedness, what else are you going to do? And it turns out to be a surprisingly sustainable practice and reducer of frustration.
Let me also present an alternate theory why a mistaken belief in exercise compliance may be useful: It allows you to think more about exercise, in a happy way, and that lets you think more about ... and sense more within ... your own body.
Those internal senses of physical competence re-introduce you to the body that gets forgotten when worry and deadlines chip away at middle age. To sense how your muscles still work with you to let you interact with the world is to want more of it -- more exercise, more out-of-doors, more simple joy of living.
The body can be quite a startling rediscovery in later life, and the exercise experience seems to feed on itself, propelling you toward more adventure, more relaxation, less over-indulgence. I suspect there is a whole mechanism here, much deeper than the power of mind-set.
5
I wonder how much of the effect was due to feeling more in control and efficacious. Studies have shown that feeling more in control of your life decreases stress which has positive health outcomes.
2
This reminds me of something I've noticed before, where long-lived people suddenly die soon after reaching 100. There is nothing magic about the number 100, only that it has significance because of our base ten system, but it seems to be a milestone worth striving for. Once it's been achieved, there is no need to go any further.
1
Welcome to 21st century America: "Perception is reality" If I think it is true, therefore it must be true.
Explains a number of unbelievable occurrences over the last 6 or 7 years, I think in part because of the success of 'social media' which reallys decreases actual social content among families, friends, and peers and relies on strangers, real or mechanical. Decartes cogito ergo sum, is now I tweet ergo sum.
I'm thinking really hard about exercising so I can enter the Boston Marathon.
1
All I know is that when I even just watch a yoga workout video, I feel more loose and relaxed and more motivated to actually do it next time around. So this does confirm some of what the article says, and I'd really like to see a real study done. I think that motivation is half the battle of the bulge. If you think you can, you can.
1
Now's there a study ripe for an attempt at replication.
Very few psychology studies can be replicated -- see "Over half of psychology studies fail reproducibility test"
https://www.nature.com/news/over-half-of-psychology-studies-fail-reprodu...
2
Does not pass the too good to be true test.
"Risk of early death up to 71 percent higher than for the group that, correctly or not, felt confident that they exercised more than their peers."
You don't mention where the study was published, so there is no way to check on anything. This is not up to the science reporting standard of the Times.
34
The article has a Pubmed link in the second paragraph, though maybe that was added after your comment. You can download the full text of the article ("Perceived Physical Activity and Mortality: Evidence from Three Nationally Representative U.S. Samples") at the Mind & Body Lab website: https://mbl.stanford.edu/publications
I agree that it doesn't pass the common sense test.
The study, published in Health Psychology, grew out of research by one of its authors, Alia Crum, the head of the Mind & Body Lab at Stanford University.
(linked)
That same line caught my eye. Given the rest of the article, shouldn't it be those who felt they exercised LESS than peers were more likely to die young?
1
The larger study discussed here may not hold up when examined more closely by experts.
The abstract says "Individuals who perceived themselves as less active than others were up to 71% more likely to die in the follow-up period than those who perceived themselves as more active. " What the heck does "up to" mean in this context? Maybe the true effect is much smaller.
And then the authors claim that the result holds up after controlling for actual physical activity. However, the data were collected years ago when monitoring for activity may not have been very accurate.
Perhaps results that sound too good to be true, actually aren't true most of the time.
3
The researchers fit models to three separate datasets (1990 NHIS, 1999-2002 NHANES, and 2003-2006 NHANES). For the 1990 NHIS data, in the "full" model, which controlled for everything they considered in this study, the group which perceived themselves as least active compared to their peers were estimated to be 18% more likely to die than the group which perceived themselves as more active than their peers. For the 1999-2002 NHANES data, similar analysis estimated that number to be 71% (which is what the article is referring to). For the 2003-2006 NHANES data, similar analysis estimated that number to be 40%. You can find this information in Tables 1, 2, and 3 in the original paper under the "Model 4" column.
1
Thanks for posting this. So, yes, the true effect is probably smaller than indicated by the 71% figure.
I have since obtained the original paper. Also, the analysis files (R code) are available online. The first author who conducted the analysis is incredibly brilliant--in my opinion .
I believe now that when people say they are inactive they are sometimes signaling that they aren't feeling well, which can in some cases predict that they will die sooner. The monitoring of actual activity doesn't pick up all the information about how a person is feeling. It seems to me that there is no need to account for the results with the mind-over-body explanation that the authors prefer.
I am confused by the negative responses. The article merely indicates that there appears to be a correlation between a positive outlook vis-a-vis one's physical activity and longevity. Nothing more.
63
It's a correlational study; that's all they can say.
3
Interesting results, but the hypotheses put forward to explain them seem almost random.
3
Were the diets of these participants (i.e., the quality and quantity of the foods they ate) observed and controlled over the course of the data collected? It doesn't sound like it.
Waistlines and overall health are affected by diet, in addition to exercise. I don't see how the conclusions could be drawn or even implied without strict control of caloric intake and the types of foods consumed. That's a problem.
4
That's not a problem. It's fertile ground for further investigation to try to determine how (assuming the correlation holds up) beliefs affect outcomes.
It could very well turn out to be that people convinced they are living a healthy lifestyle will improve their diets to match. That could be the missing link, and a practically useful one at that.
There is value in the results of these studies even if the subjects' outcomes don't turn out to be purely because of their mindsets but rather because of their associated actions.
1
When exercising, you go as hard as you can to expend energy, but when working, you go as easy as you can to conserve energy.
6
I knew it ! I am an immortal, as yet undiscovered Olympic athlete. Yahoo!
22
You write: "Risk of early death was up to 71 percent higher than for the group that, correctly or not, felt confident that they exercised more than their peers."
Isn't this a contradiction to your premise?
5
"than for". It was 71% higher in the group that felt they exercised less - 71% higher than it was for the group that felt they exercised more. Something about the syntax is weird there, though, as I did have to read that sentence twice before it made sense.
2
No, it's not. You are reading the sentence incorrectly. See the word 'than'?
So, I'm hearing:
- Thinking I exercise adequately lowers my stress.
- Lowering my stress improves my health.
- Ergo, my health is improved by thinking it is.
Of course, immediately I try "thinking" differently...and end up:
- Trying to think "well."
- I am aware I'm trying to manipulate my body without "doing" better.
- The discrepancy (feels like dishonesty - "I know better") increases my stress.
- My health gets worse.
Oops!
It's hard to think about.
But for real conflict and frustration, try this one: "Are Your Friends Making You Fat?" http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/magazine/13contagion-t.html
11
It's not clear that believing that you exercise more, or being more aware of the exercise that you do, equates to thinking that you exercise adequately. Maybe just having a more positive sense about your level of exercise affects your attitude in ways that have healthful benefits. It's quite possible that deliberately thinking about it gets in the way of receiving those benefits.
7
It is the ability to acknowledge that your activity is beneficial and healthy. Which would indicate that you have a basically healthy view of your existence. Which is indicative that you probably feel less stress in general. Therefore you are probably healthier.
Awareness is after the event. Knowing that this is true may not reveal a means of incorporating and utilizing the information. Knowledge is probably sufficient for whatever benefit is possible.
My interpretation of this research: the biggest blowhards live the longest! Could it be survival of the fittest ego?
17
If this work can help ordinary people who perform physical labor to feel better mentally and physically then I think it has great value.
42
The hotel workers who were "primed" to view their work as exercise may have then actually put more energy into it, leading to their improvements. The larger study showed that a belief at one point in time was correlated with a later outcome; not that the opposite belief ("I get enough exercise") produced a different (non-early death) outcome. Interesting, but wishful "thinking" it seems to me. And what were the causes of early death?
20
Forget the side shows. Just find an exercise (or two) you enjoy, and do it. Incorporate exercise into your life so it becomes inconceivable without it.
I feel sorry for people who choose not to exercise. They are asking for dire consequences.
39
Ok gang, imo, let's go over it again.
There are a myriad of excuses why we can't lose weight. This story uses intellectualization. There are many more like finger pointing, ax grinding, bait and switching etc.etc.
One can use various methods from cold turkey, weight watchers etc. but bottom line if you really want to lose weight you will if not you won't. Period.
12
In neither of these studies was weight loss the focus. The hotel workers weren't trying to lose weight, they just did. That's a fact. In the database study, weight wasn't a consideration and the outcome was just that people who believed they exercised more tended to live longer. That's a fact. Intellectualization, as you call it, isn't used as an excuse for anything. The article reports on studies that demonstrate that a positive belief about one's level of exercise is associated with significant positive effects on health and longevity. And this seems to occur whether you want it or not.
29
Thank you for your reply Stan. To the degree I misread the story I apology.
However I have seen so many similar studies using every known defense mechanism in the book why one cannot lose weight.
it's very simple. It you want you will, if you don't you won't.
It doesn't make you a better or worse person either way you go.
1
This wasn't really about weight loss per se. But I don't think that I entirely agree with the idea that if you want to you will, if you don't, you won't. My reasons are partially anecdotal - I tried for years to lose weight after pregnancy, and it just wasn't happening. I exercised. I got a personal trainer. I started tracking my calories - turns out that for my age and level of physical activity, I was *already* eating a low enough calorie diet that I should have been losing 1-2 pounds a week. I wasn't. And it wasn't just from muscle mass gain - I did not decrease my waistline at all. Then, I moved. I moved somewhere where I could walk everywhere I needed to go, or take public transportation. I was tired of putting effort into something that was unsuccessful, so I stopped trying to lose weight. I stopped going to the gym. I stopped counting calories altogether, and started trying to focus on eating more soluble fiber. Lo and behold, I started losing weight and feel healthier than ever. I don't think it's just about wanting to - it's about realizing that we all have different needs and finding what works for us. Gyms don't work for me. Spending over an hour of my day briskly walking, carrying home groceries, going up and down stairs, etc., does.
1
I'm always left feeling dissatisfied by articles on dieting, exercise, and weight loss, especially since they often contradict each other, but mainly because I don't think a study like this really illuminates the complex factors that shape an individual's health. Surely most people know what it takes for them to feel healthy: a good night's sleep; a diet in which added sugar and overly processed food play only an occasional role; the right exercise that leaves you feel that you enjoy your body; a non-toxic environment.
Some people need more or less sleep than others, or their internal clock demands a schedule that society won't tolerate; some people may need more protein or more carbs than others, depending on the demands they place on their bodies; finding the right exercise and the money and time to pursue it is an elusive goal for most of us, because the demands of our jobs dictate too much of our schedule and too often compel us to be sedentary; and we've plummeting back to the days when corporations are allowed to poison the biosphere and enjoy the "freedom from regulation" that allows them to sell harmful products.
So I currently have no health problems at 60, but I weigh too much. I've already decided not to stress to much about managing factors in my life over which I have little control if I want to be a productive, loving person. Maybe I can't "think myself thin," as the first comment posted scoffs, but the best I can do may be to think myself OK.
47
Glad you're well, but your weight problem is your geographic...
Woo, woo. Think yourself thin? Or healthy? Haven't seen this in real life at all. It sounds like advice straight from 1972.
Your image of yourself does influence behavior and your own perceptions of your self. As you internalize popular outside beliefs (such as: being overweight proves that you don't exercise enough, while being slender automatically proves you exercise and eat right), your behavior can definitely be affected enough to change behavior. We know from other studies that it only takes subtle differences in food intake or especially, TYPE of food eaten, or activity, to influence health: SO cultivating a positive image is desirable: - not for mystical reasons.
Also, there might have been intrinsic metabolism differences not captured from the past studies that were data-mined. For their 84 living subjects, it would be interesting to see exactly what shape their bodies were in at the time of the study (not visible in the published report). By shape I mean internally as well as in external measurements: a history since birth, metabolism ratings, diet analysis - NOT caloric - bone strength, muscle development and strength over time, use of myriad medicines . . .).
As for a narrower waistline, that seems to be highly correlated with body types over a lifetime: a friend's pear shaped mother still has a tiny waist and big hips at 92; my apple-shaped mom has a waistline which exceeds her hips at 95. My friend and I inherited those shapes.
19
And with those shapes you also inherited probabllity of various diseases. Apple which most Americans seem to fit is associated with heart disease. What interests me is that the shaping of clothing has also changed. Waists are cut wider thanin the 50's-70's. In fact some of clothing has waists nearly the same as the hips (don't have to zip and unzip). This would seem to indicate that people - female are not getting enough exercise (and I mean moving briskly.. not merely moving -- altho even standing seems to butn more calories than sitting... blood pooling?/ another topic). Having finally had both knees replaced I waited until age 70 altho problems were there by 60 -- major -- because knee replacement surgery unlike hip replacement is very difficult to redo without consequences... Of course this is also a toss of the dice... but for the first time in a dozen years I am happy for a brisk walk across Central Park -- not quite as fast as the really fast young uns but faster than a stroll.. Can't really jog.. maybe intermittently -- nor run. But esp. in the case of diabetes 2 exercise is very meaningful.. and I am afraid that swimming as most people do not do a fast crawl really does not do the trick. (it's anti-gravitational.. gravity helps build bone for sure.) Hormonal systems in the body -- and here we get to the brain-body continuum are not well understood. PLACEBO EFFECT for hotel workers.. well recorded.
5
92 ! , 95 !
what , me worry ?
10
I would not reject a placebo effect!