I exercise, therefore I look great!
In the annals of strange mind-body connections, this one has got to rank as one of the most interesting. According to a study published study in the September issue of the Journal of Health Psychology, the simple act of exercise and not fitness itself can convince you that you look better. The authors reported that "People who don't achieve workout milestones such as losing fat, gaining strength or boosting cardiovascular fitness feel just as good about their bodies as their more athletic counterparts." This comes at a time when negative body image has grown to epidemic proportions, with as many as 60 percent of adults in national studies saying they don't like the way their bodies look.
Kathleen Martin Ginis, a kinesiology professor at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada praised the research. "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.