A few years back there was an article somewhere that explained how just thinking about food can make you fat. The theory was that thinking about delicious food got the enzymes working, and substances already ingested were more precisely converted into fat cells. Can't find anything on it now, so maybe the study was never replicated.
Anyway, here's a different theory backed up by a real study.
Researchers put one arm of each test subject in a cast to immobilize the wrist and hand. They told the test group to perform mental imagery of strong muscle contractions five days each week for four weeks. The control group got no instructions.
Muscle loss is usually the result of non-use. However, strength tests before, during and after the experiment revealed that the group that imagined the exercise suffered less muscle loss than the control group -- a very impressive finding.
Their focus was on reducing the loss of strength during illness or incapacitation. But maybe if we think hard enough we can get those six pack abs without all those sit-ups. I'm thinking! I'm thinking!
----------
More detail here: New evidence shows link between brain function and muscle strength.
Link to abstract: The Power of the Mind: The Cortex as a Critical Determinant of Muscle Strength/Weakness.
Via Daily Mail.
Comments