Exercise Pumps Up Body Image More Than Body Itself

Leaving aside the question of whether it’s better to look good than to feel good, researchers at the University of Florida are convinced that it’s at least easier to feel good about your body than to look good. Futurity reports that the scientists, who analyzed 57 studies published in recent years, found conclusively that exercise buffed up the way people see their bodies regardless of the actual benefits, and that people who don’t achieve workout milestones such as losing fat, gaining strength, or improving cardiovascular fitness feel just as good about their bodies as their more athletic counterparts. Who gets the biggest image bump from working out? Women and oldsters: the study showed slightly larger benefits from exercise in terms of improving body image for women than men, and that older people most likely to report enhanced body images from exercise. Read more from Futurity.