Thursday, May 20, 2010

Mindset

We all commiserate as our colleague told us how we doctors preach with daily exercise while we are culpable of the unhealthy lifestyle. But wait: do we exercise and walk the talk at all?

Inevitably, the priority of daily exercise tends to get eclipsed by the stressful job, examination, family and many other obligations. Be that as it may, our well-being depends on how we process our lives on the inside – on our thinking or mindset. I remember reading once an interesting psychology experiment by the researchers at Harvard University. They randomly assigned each of seven hotels to one of the two conditions: informed or control. Female hotel attendants in the informed condition were told about the benefits of exercise. Specifically, they were informed that how their daily housekeeping work satisfied the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for an active lifestyle. For example, a 140-pound woman burns 40 calories after changing linens for 15 minutes, and another 50 calories after vacuuming for 15 minutes. Hotel attendants in the control group were also told about the benefits of exercise but they did not receive information about how their work is, in fact, good exercise.

Can you guess what happened when these hotel attendants were tracked down one month later? By virtue of learning that work might serve as exercise, the hotel attendants in the informed condition lost an average of 2 pounds, lowered their blood pressure by an average of 10 mmHg, and trimmed their body fit even though they didn't change their diet or add any exercise to their routine. I don't have to tell you the only change was a shift in the mindset. Yeah, yeah. I know it sounds unlikely, but consider the evidence.

In no way am I suggesting that you indulge in the Pollyanna comfort blankets. And I doubt that I have much in common with a hotel attendant – except that my work of scurrying around the hospital helps to burns loads of calories too. With that in mind, I go to bed at ease.

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