You may have heard about the studies that show people are more likely to stick to an exercise regimen for health reasons than if they are exercising for appearance-related reasons. Now a study conducted by researchers at Flinders University in Australia found that women’s workouts may indicate something about their body image.
A survey of 571 women who exercise at health clubs showed that, while taking cardio classes improved mood, “greater time spent on individual cardio workouts predicted body-image concerns,” according to Allure.
Women who spent more time doing strength training or yoga classes, on the other hand, “were less likely to perceive the body as an object to be modified for the judgment of others.”
Searches for diets on Yahoo! are up more than 5,000 percent this week, presumably because people are hoping to succeed in their New Year’s resolutions to lose weight. Some interesting tidbits from Yahoo! about seaches for diets and gyms:
Seventy-four percent of the people who search for diets online are women; those women in the 35- to 54-year-old age range searched the most.
The most-searched gym is the YMCA.
The top-searched diet on Yahoo! is the Special K diet. In decreasing order, the rest of the top 10 diets are the MUFA diet, the cabbage soup diet, the Dash diet, the Sacred Heart diet, the vegan diet, the 1,200-calorie diet, the grapefruit diet, the Sonoma diet and the South Beach diet.
Apparently, the “exercise regularly and eat sensibly diet” did not make the list.