Don’t Let the Models Get You Down - They’re Airbrushed Anyway!

You would think that reading magazines containing articles about like minded people who are also on a quest to get in shape would be something to inspire your workout; looking like the models in the articles should give you something to strive for – however, this is not the case. University of Wisconsin professor Ann Wertz Garvin conducted a study which showed quite the contrary.

Garvin took 92 college women and had them spend 30 minutes per day on the bike, with either Oxygen magazine, Oprah magazine or nothing at all to read. Shockingly, the portion of the group reading Oxygen tended to be more anxious, depressed and in a worse mood than the others after exercising. Garvin theorizes that the women suffered because they felt as though they would never look like the models in the magazine.

Fortunately, there are other ways to keep occupied while working out, such as wearing headphones. Music has been shown to both calm and stimulate the brain, and of course it can break the monotony of exercise. Next time you hop on the treadmill, you may want to grab your mp3 player instead of the latest fitness magazine, that way you’ll free great inside and out!

Written by: Donnell Peavy