Kick back with the game, and kick up your heart rate? Watching others work out could jumpstart physiological responses similar to those activated during exercise, a new Australian study claims.
When people watched a 22-minute video of someone running, researchers noted an increase in heart rate, respiration, skin blood flow, and sweat release. They also saw an increase in activity in each subjects's sympathetic nervous system--which sends blood to your limbs and prepares your body for "fight or flight."
Athletes use visualization to boost performance. Imagining a situation--kicking a field goal or sprinting the last 100 meters of a race--reinforces the same neural pathways as actually executing the behavior. When you then attempt the task, your body feels as if you've already done it. This new research shows that it's also possible to train your cardiovascular system when engaging in exercise mentally, says the study's lead author, Vaughan Macefield, Ph.D.
But watching Tony Romo break a sweat isn't going to replace the benefits of an actual workout: These responses were much smaller than those that occur during actual exercise, says Macefield.
We know: Holiday traffic, visits from relatives, and a bird that needs to be brined make it hard to find the time to squeeze in a workout on Thanksgiving. But believe it or not, it only takes 10 minutes to get an intense muscle-burning workout. With 10-Minute Torchers, a pair of dumbbells, and a few feet of floor space, you'll burn more calories and power through more sets than most guys pull off in a half hour.
Then you can head back to the couch for that "workout."
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