No matter what’s ailing you, exercise seems to help. Ample research shows that regular workouts improve a multitude of conditions, imparting physical and psychological benefits. Now, a new paper provides compelling evidence that physical activity can help one of the world’s most prevalent mental conditions, alcohol use disorder.
Published today in the journal PLOS ONE, this meta-analysis and review presents findings on 17 randomized clinical trials that examined exercise as an intervention to help alcohol use disorder. The authors found that not only did alcohol reduce dependence on drinking, but it also improved physical and mental wellbeing. Alcohol use disorder currently afflicts millions of people in the United States alone.
The researchers, from the Institute of Physical Education at Jishou University in Hunan, China, included 1,905 patients in their analysis of these trials. Across these studies, the authors looked at changes in daily alcohol consumption, VO2 max (which measures how much oxygen your body uses while exercising), resting heart rate, depression and anxiety levels, stress levels, and other health indicators. They also measured alcohol dependence using the screening tool Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test.
They homed in on daily and weekly alcohol consumption before and after the exercise intervention. Exercise entailed aerobic activity, resistance training, and yoga, among others. The experimental groups that received the exercise intervention significantly reduced their consumption compared to the control groups that received no intervention. Additionally, VO2 max and resting heart rate indicated physical fitness improvements, which they saw consistently among experimental groups. Anxiety state also significantly improved compared with the control group.
The authors speculate that the mechanism behind exercise’s ability to reduce alcohol dependence may come about from exercise’s ability to reduce psychological stress and improve a person’s mental state. It also might come from the way exercise influences the human body’s innate dopaminergic brain reward system, which controls the release of dopamine, the brain’s “feel good” hormone. Because alcohol (as well as most drugs of abuse) activates this brain system as well, exercise might be releasing that needed dopamine that a person with alcohol use disorder might have been relying on. Other research also suggests that exercise triggers the release of endogenous opiates, which could reduce the urge to use drugs.
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Intriguingly, they found that yoga was the chosen exercise in six of the 17 trials analyzed, and it improved psychological state and alcohol dependency. The authors highlight how yoga is a mind-body exercise that incorporates breathing with physical activity, which speaks to exercise’s important influence on mental state.
The authors say they want to do and see more studies that scrutinize how different types of exercise and varying exercise intensities affect the nature of alcohol dependence. Crucially, the fact that over a dozen studies have looked at various types and intensities of exercise emphasizes how exercise of most kinds has a positive effect on alcohol use disorder. And you don’t have to go hard to see the benefits, which is a lesson anyone can take.
I love the clamshell exercise, too. I do this simple movement on the floor, from the comfort of my yoga mat (or carpet), and it’s done more for my hip mobility, core stability, and glute (buttock) strength than many other weighted exercises.
The squat certainly has its place in a strength training routine. There’s no denying this compound movement is a good one, strengthening multiple large muscle groups at once. But, it can be trying on the bones and joints, especially if you’re newer to weighted exercise or coming back from an injury, like me.
Jack Claxton has been at the sharp end of personal training for over a decade, yet even someone as well-versed in its benefits can occasionally lack the drive to exercise. “Motivation is huge,” says David Lloyd’s master trainer, who admits that his own motivation started to dip last year “even though I’ve been in this industry for 10-11 years.”
Despite committing his career to helping people fall in love with exercise, Claxton was falling out of love with it—hard.
Preity Zinta leaves no stone unturned when it comes to fitness, and her latest workout video is proof. Watch here.
Preity Zinta has shared her latest exercise regimen on social media.
Preity Zinta is known to follow a disciplined routine and consistent workouts, leaving no stone unturned when it comes to fitness. All thanks to her exercise regimen and balanced diet that she is truly ageing like fine wine. Maintaining a fit and toned physique, she has set a fitness benchmark at the age of 50. She recently took to her Instagram handle to share a workout video, proving that age is just a number. Let’s dive into her latest exercise regimen here.
Taking to her social media handle, Preity Zinta shared an inspiring working video, moving fans with her dedication towards a healthy lifestyle. She captioned the post, “It does not matter how long and how much you train over the years… One needs to keep changing it up so you can push your body further and harder.” She added, “Here I’m trying a new workout for a new project I’m working on with the one & only Yasmin Karachiwala (Celebrity fitness instructor). Hope I can inspire some of you to go to the gym now.”
Take a look at Preity Zinta’s workout video here.
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Wearing sleek black sportswear, Preity is shown in the video slaying several exercises while maintaining her distinctive natural shine and pulling her hair up into a high ponytail.
Take notes from Preity’s exercise regimen
Scrunches: To tone the abdominal muscles, perform core-focused crunches.
Cable curl: A technique for working the biceps with a cable machine.
Squats: Try this traditional bodyweight or weighted squat to work your legs and glutes.
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Crossover running plank: A version of the plank that uses a running motion to work the shoulders and core.
Arm pulldown: To strengthen the arms and back, pull down a resistance band or wire.
A side step to strengthen and stretch your inner thighs and hips is the side lunge stretch.
A few weeks ago, the Veer Zara actress shared another video from her workout session, writing, “A strong spine is a base for both good health & character (sin). Here is the hanging back extension on the Cadillac for spine mobility & strength. Joseph Pilates famously said, “You are as young as your spine is flexible.” So, whichever way possible, keep your spine flexible & keep pushing yourself the way Yasmin Karachiwala pushes me.”
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