The Rundown

Mind-Set Movement. According to a recent paper on how mind-set impacts exercise, just thinking that we aren’t moving enough can lead to negative health outcomes.

For the study, researchers working out of the Mind & Body Lab at Stanford University gave watches to 162 adults to track their steps. One group had a watch that artificially increased their step counts from about 7,000 steps to 9,800. Another group had a watch that intentionally lowered their step counts by about 40%. The remaining two groups wore watches with accurate step counts (about 7,000 per day) but one of these groups also watched videos about the power of mind-sets and their influence on health.

After four-weeks, the volunteers who had correct step counts reported better moods and higher self-esteem. They also started eating less high-fat foods and more produce when they counted steps. Their aerobic fitness also rose slightly.

The biggest difference was in their “Activity Adequacy Mind-Set” score, which was calculated from a specialized questionnaire that measured if they felt they got enough exercise. This group felt “that their physical activity level was more adequate and healthier than they had previously believed,” the researchers noted. (The group with the inflated step counts responded almost the same. The team suggests that this is because many of us see little difference between 7,000 and 9,000 steps).

The highest mind-set scores were in the group that had accurate step counts and watched the mind-set videos. These volunteers showed even more gains in their emotional well-being and sense of being physically capable.

It was another story for the people who thought they only took 4,000 steps per day. These volunteers showed a little lower self-esteem, darker moods, worse eating habits and slight increases in their resting heart rates and blood pressure.

Senior author of the study, Alia Crum, says that how we think about our exercise habits “can change our motivation and goals” even if our mind-sets aren’t grounded in reality. In other words, if we think we are not active enough, our health and emotional well-being can suffer, no matter how active we actually are.

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Gut Reaction. Is your gut microbiome fit? A new paper found that it’s more about duration than intensity when it comes to exercise and a healthy gut.

To investigate how exercise shapes the gut microbiome (or the trillions of microbes in our guts) in non-athletes, researchers from the University of Calgary studied the type, time and intensity of exercise in relation to microbiomes in a group of middle-aged adults. They also collected data on body weight, diet and hand-grip strength.

The study found that moderate physical activity (more than 150 minutes per week) increased the richness and diversity of the gut microbiomes compared to study participants that exercised less.

The results also showed that duration beat intensity when it came to improving microbes in the gut. How hard a person exercised during each session was less important than how long. Future research is needed to find out why.

Interestingly, changes in the microbiome were not the same between different groups, with those who were overweight experiencing less benefits. The researchers attribute this to the idea that “being overweight exerts its own influence on the gut microbiome independently of exercise.”

Extra Point

Watch

Catching Lightning. In 2006, thieves stole almost £53 million GBP (more than $92 million USD at the time) from Great Britain’s Securitas Depot. This four-part series examines the role of mixed martial arts fighter “Lightning” Lee Murray in the robbery, one of the largest cash heists in history. The documentary tells Murray’s story in his own words and features interviews with mixed martial arts fighters including Anderson Silva, Chuck Liddell, and Pat Miletich, among others. Catching Lightning premieres on demand and streaming, April 7 and on air April 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.

Listen

Tara Brach. Hosted by Tara Brach, a psychologist, meditation teacher and author of Radical Acceptance, this podcast offers guided meditations and talks. Recent episodes focus on the power of deep listening, compassion for all living beings, and saying “yes” to life.

Read

Eating “Healthy” Might Be Hurting Your Performance. In this piece for Outside magazine, Christine Byrne explores the trouble with “food rules” and argues that “many active people have internalized ideas that make it tough to consume enough energy throughout the day.”