The College of Education and Human Ecology is exploring how physical activity can improve students’ mental health.

The college is partnering with Wilce Student Health Center and Student Life Recreational Sport to conduct the study called “Exercise is Medicine™ for Student Resilience” to implement structured exercise into students’ lives.

The study targets those who aren’t active or are stressed to help enhance their mental health and resilience, Carmen Swain, director in health and exercise science and principal investigator of the study, said.

“Our main mission is to try to impact mental health and college students, that’s our goal,” Swain said.

The program is led by trained undergraduate students who work as research assistants or personal trainers. The fitness coaches meet weekly with student participants for nine weeks to do exercise sessions, Swain said.

Participants are required to wear a fitness tracker called a “WHOOP” that measures their health and fitness data throughout the program, Swain said.

“It measures a lot of your biometric data,” Swain said. “So, it measures your heart rate, your sleep and it’s pretty cool.”

The fitness tracker also helps researchers monitor participants’ stress levels to see if they are decreasing throughout the study, Jean-Pierre Khouzam, a second-year master’s student in kinesiology and research lead for the study, said.

“I like to call it a nicer Apple Watch,” Khouzam said. “Never take it off, you charge it on your wrist and it gives you a lot of insights. A lot more insights than just a normal Apple Watch would give you.”

Researchers also conduct pre- and post-testing to measure the changes in the students’ physical fitness and mental health status, Swain said.

Part of the testing is having participants take surveys that score measures like depression and loneliness, Swain said.

“The goal of the program is to see if the physical fitness programming led by these peers impacts their scores on these surveys,” Swain said.

The research is especially relevant now because many Ohio State students are struggling with high levels of anxiety, depression and loneliness, Swain said.

“Mental health is a crisis, especially for college students,” Swain said.

Many studies show that exercise can improve mental health, which is why the research study was developed, Khouzam said.

There are currently seven students participating in the study, and the goal is to have 20 participants by the end of the next semester, Khouzam said.

He hopes the undergraduate leads will gain valuable skills from the experience and see the impact they are making on others, Khouzam said.

“Hopefully they have an impactful experience to where they understand what research is about,” Khouzam said. “And then also they’re helping other people, which is huge in my eyes.”

Last Updated:October 29, 2025, 09:03 IST

Yasmin Karachiwala, who has trained Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt, revealed if one should work out in the morning or evening for best results.

Consistency is more important than workout timing.

For anyone trying to stay fit, finding time to exercise often feels like the biggest workout of all. Between work meetings, social plans, and family responsibilities, sticking to a consistent routine can be challenging. And amid all the wellness advice flooding social media, one debate never seems to end – what’s the best time to exercise: morning or evening?

Celebrity fitness trainer Yasmin Karachiwala, who has shaped the physiques of stars like Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt, and Preity Zinta, recently reignited the conversation. She asked her followers a simple but relatable question: “Are you team Morning or team Evening?”

Why Timing Matters Less Than Consistency

According to Yasmin, there’s no universal ‘best’ time to work out. It’s about what fits you. Morning workouts appeal to early risers who enjoy starting their day on an energising note. Exercising first thing can boost mood, metabolism, and mental clarity. But for others, evenings are when their body feels warmer, stronger, and more flexible, making strength or endurance workouts more effective.

Food timing is another key factor. Some prefer training on an empty stomach, while others need a light pre-workout meal for an energy lift. And then there’s environment – some thrive in the hustle of a busy gym, others focus better in quieter spaces. Yasmin’s take: it’s about listening to your body’s rhythm, not forcing it into someone else’s routine.

The Power Of Showing Up

What truly defines success, Yasmin insists, is consistency. Whether it’s 6 a.m. Pilates or a 7 p.m. spin class, regularity beats perfection. “The best time is whenever you can stay consistent and enjoy it,” she emphasises. Her approach, honed over decades of training Bollywood’s fittest, prioritises longevity over quick fixes. Workouts are tailored not just for aesthetics but for balance by improving posture, flexibility, and mental wellness alongside strength.

Fitness That Fits Your Life

For those still caught between sunrise runs and post-work gym sessions, Yasmin’s advice offers freedom: stop overthinking the clock. What matters most is that your workout feels sustainable and enjoyable.

In a world obsessed with trends, her philosophy cuts through the noise. Fitness isn’t about finding the perfect hour; it’s about showing up, every day, in whatever hour works for you.

You’ve probably heard the claim that too much exercise “uses up” your heartbeats, as if the heart were a battery with a limited charge. New research says the opposite is true. A fit heart actually beats less over time, making each beat more efficient and possibly adding years to your life.

A team from Australia’s Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and the St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research found that physically active people use fewer total heartbeats per day than those who are sedentary. Here, we’ll look at what the researchers discovered, how it challenges a long-standing health myth, and what it means for your heart, longevity, and fitness habits.

Exercise myth debunked: the truth about heartbeats

The study, published in JACC: Advances, compared the daily heart activity of trained athletes and inactive adults. The difference was striking. On average, athletes’ hearts beat about 68 times per minute, while non-athletes clocked in around 76. Over 24 hours, that’s roughly 97,920 beats for the active group and 109,440 for the inactive—a savings of more than 11,000 beats a day for fitter individuals.

Professor Andre La Gerche, head of the HEART Laboratory at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, explained that this efficiency is what sets a fit heart apart. “Even though athletes’ hearts work harder during exercise, their lower resting rates more than make up for it”, he said. In other words, your heart doesn’t wear out from regular workouts—it gets stronger and smarter.

Participants with the highest fitness levels had resting heart rates as low as 40 beats per minute, compared to the typical 70–80 bpm seen in most adults. Despite bursts of intense activity, their total daily heartbeats remained lower overall. This finding directly challenges the old “finite heartbeats” theory that exercise depletes the body’s limited energy supply.

“The fitter you are, the more metabolically efficient your body becomes”, La Gerche said. “Even if you’re training hard for an hour a day, your heart beats more slowly for the other 23 hours”. That lower resting rate is linked with better cardiovascular function, reduced disease risk, and longer lifespan.

The biggest improvement, according to La Gerche, comes from going from unfit to moderately fit. Just a few hours of regular activity a week can make a measurable difference in how efficiently your heart works.

Other exercise myths worth forgetting

Here are a few other common misconceptions that science continues to dismantle:

• You have to work out hard every day to see results. Rest and recovery are part of training. Muscles repair and strengthen when you give them time to recover.
• Cardio is all you need for heart health. Strength training, mobility work, and flexibility exercises also support heart function and metabolic health.
• Morning workouts are always better. The best time to exercise is when you can do it consistently.
• Sweating means you’re burning more calories. Sweat is about cooling your body, not a measure of fat loss or workout effectiveness.

Exercise doesn’t burn through your heartbeats—it helps you use them wisely. A strong heart beats slower, lasts longer, and keeps you healthier. Fitness is about training your body to use it efficiently.