Desk-break more important than gym
Getting up from the desk for a five-minute wander every half hour is more important when it comes to fending off diabetes than hitting the gym, according to new research.
The researchers from leicester University, who looked at activity levels and sedentary time in almost 900 patients, found cutting the amount of sitting time by 90 minutes a day had important health benefits. They analysed the amount of time people spent sitting, how frequently they got up, as well as their levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Although those who took more moderate-to-vigorous exercise did have a lower risk of developing diabetes, they found limiting sitting time was more important.
Dieting doesn’t make you thin
It’s long been said that diets don’t work. But now it’s been proven that women dieters do not actually cut the amount they eat — they simply end up feeling guilty about food instead. Three studies of women found that those who were highly conscious of what they eat did not consume less calories than other women.
But women who dieted differed from women who didn’t in one area — they experienced a lot more guilt when it came to eating. These frequent dieters seem to rob themselves of the pleasure of enjoying food and set themselves up for failure, the findings suggest. “Results indicated that restraint was not associated with food intake, but instead was associated with increased levels of guilt after eating,” wrote the researchers from Utrecht University, Holland, in the journal Psychology & Health.
Pessimistic people live longer: Study
Older people blighted by pessimism and fear for the future are more likely to live longer, according to scientists. A study, into 40,000 adults across ten years, has found those with low expectations for a “satisfying future” actually led healthier lives. In contrast, people who were “overly optimistic” about the days ahead had a greater risk of disability or death within ten years.
The extraordinary research, published by the American Psychological Association, will not doubt prove comfort to anyone with a tendency to grumpiness. Frieder R lang, lead author of the study from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, said: “Pessimism about the future may encourage people to live more carefully, taking health and safety precautions.”