Just Thinking You Should Exercise More May Cause an Early Death

Do you ever feel like you should exercise more?  If so, you may have just increased your risk of an early death by 71% according to a new Stanford study.  In this article, I'll review this latest study and offer practical tips to a more mindful approach to physical activity.

Kristen's Experience

Like most young moms, Kristen had too many things on her plate.  Trying to care for small children while at the same time meeting her employer's demands and somehow also finding the time to get to the gym was too much.

She knew she should exercise more.  However, there just were not enough hours in the day.

The guilt and shame that came from the feeling that she was slacking off on her exercise worried her.  This worry ultimately led to heart palpitations, an emergency room visit, and then to a consultation with me.

Fortunately, all of Kristen's tests came back normal.  Knowing that her heart was still strong allowed me to help her develop a more practical and mindful approach to physical activity.

The I Should Exercise More Study

In another brilliant study on the mindfulness component to physical activity, Dr. Alia J. Crum and colleagues from Stanford University tackled the health risks that come from guilt and shame.  To address these health risks, Dr. Crum studied 61,141 Americans over the course of 21 years.

In this study, Dr. Crum asked participants how they felt about the amount of exercise they were doing in comparison to others.  Interestingly, those who felt that they just weren't exercising enough were 71% more likely to die over the 21 years of the study.

What makes Dr. Crum's study really interesting is that even if you were exercising, eating right, and maintaining a healthy weight, just thinking you were slacking off on your exercise increased your risk of dying prematurely. This study highlights the importance of a mindful approach to exercising.  It also raises the possible dangers of a nocebo effect.

The Nocebo Effect

While everyone has heard of the placebo effect, many of you may not be aware of the flip side which is the nocebo effect.  With the placebo effect, the mere thought that a food, supplement, medication, or procedure will help you causes it to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

For example, studies show that a "dummy pill" can actually be curative in up to 62% of cases.  Studies like these highlight the untapped power of the mind to heal us.

However, their is a flip side to the placebo effect.  It is called the nocebo effect.  With the nocebo effect, people who believe that a food, supplement, medication, or procedure will harm them also causes it to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I see the nocebo effect everyday in my cardiology practice.  People who are convinced that a treatment won't work for them are generally right.  Conversely, those people who are convinced that a treatment will work are also generally right.

While the mind can heal us it can also cause disease.  This study from Dr. Crum and her team at Stanford University raises the question that the feeling we just don't measure up when it comes to exercise may put our hearts and our lives at risk.

Eliminate the Word Exercise

I wish we could eliminate the word exercise from the English language.  The problem is that when many people hear the word they immediately feel guilt and shame from not measuring up.

Too often, when we hear the word exercise we feel like we should be going to the gym more often.  While hitting the gym is a great way to exercise, it is also a huge time commitment.

Most busy people that I know don't have one to two extra hours to spend at the gym everyday.  Not to mention the fact that many people, myself included, hate going to the gym.