Attention, dieters! Doing exercise ‘can improve your self-control’
People who pair a diet with an exercise regime are often the ones who succeed in losing weight – and now science has suggested another reason why.
Doing exercise seems to have a psychological effect which improves people’s self-control – making them less likely to reach for a doughnut after a run.
Researchers at the University of Kansas found that exercising can improve people’s ability to control themselves – in particular the ability to choose a reward later, over one right now.
That ability to control impulsivity could have important implications for people hoping to control obesity, gambling problems and even substance abuse, the researchers write.
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Over a two-month study, researchers looked at the ability of volunteers to control their impulsivity – and found that it improved in people who did exercise.
Michael Sofis of Kansas University said, ‘“There’s a particular type of task called ‘delay discounting’ that presents individuals with a series of choices between ‘smaller/sooner’ and ‘larger/later’ rewards.
‘It’s something we all experience in our lives. Do you want a little money now — or wait and get a lot of money later? The degree to which one chooses that smaller/sooner reward is called impulsivity.
‘I had people of all different ages, BMIs, incomes and mental-health levels, and these studies suggested that nearly every single person at least improved their delayed discounting to some degree. If anyone just exercises, it’s likely you will show some improvements.’
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