Latest news with #ExerciseandHealth
New York Post
08-07-2025
- Health
- New York Post
These 5 personality traits can predict what kind of exercise you prefer — including the best workout for anxious people
So much for nama-staying in bed. Exercise is said to be the best habit for aging well — even a lazy, five-minute workout can improve muscle strength and heart health. But if you're struggling to get going, a new study suggests that aligning your fitness routine with your personality type can significantly improve the odds that you'll stick with it. A new study suggests the secret to sticking to a fitness regime could be your personality type. Drazen – 'We know that the global population is becoming increasingly sedentary. You often hear about people trying to become more active, but struggling to make lasting changes,' said Flaminia Ronca, a researcher at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health (ISEH) in the UK. 'In this study, we wanted to understand how personality can influence this to support the development of effective interventions for changes in health behavior.' The research team assessed 132 volunteers randomly assigned to an eight-week cycling and strength-training program or a resting control group. Participants completed detailed questionnaires measuring the 'Big Five' personality traits: extraversion, openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness and neuroticism. While everyone who finished the program — 86 people — got fitter, how much they enjoyed the workouts depended on who they were on the inside. 'We found some clear links between personality traits and the type of exercise the participants enjoyed most, which I think is important because we could potentially use this knowledge to tailor physical activity recommendations to the individual — and hopefully help them to become and remain more active,' Ronca said. Conscientious types tended to have better all-around fitness levels, but they didn't necessarily enjoy one style versus another. twinsterphoto – We're Tracking Prime Day Live! Unlock exclusive NYP codes and real-time deals on everyday must-haves. See Your Deals Extroverts preferred exercise that puts their big energy to good use, such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and the type of all-out cycling sprints that can wreck you in spin class. They were, however, less likely to follow through. Neurotic, anxious types favored more low-key workouts — and, unsurprisingly, they disliked being monitored, making them perhaps a better fit for solo, at-home programs. They did, however, experience the biggest reduction in stress, implying people prone to anxiety might reap the biggest mental health benefits from exercise. Conscientious types tended to have better all-around fitness levels, but they didn't necessarily enjoy one style versus another — probably because they viewed exercise as something good for them, not something designed to be fun. 'Extroverts often prefer team sports or group fitness classes, and they get energy from fellow exercisers,' Dr. Blaise Aguirre, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at McLean Hospital in Arlington, Massachusetts, who wasn't involved with the study, told NBC News. 'On the other hand, others who are more conscientious would be drawn to structured, schedule-based activities — say, a specific class at a gym where a specific and predictable routine is followed — and this is because this fits their organized, goal-oriented nature.' Meanwhile, people with an open spirit may gravitate toward varied or unconventional workouts, while those with agreeable personalities are more likely to enjoy a relaxed, steady-paced bike ride, the study found. The findings were published Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Psychology. One thing's for sure: if you want to work out more, find something that brings you joy.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Matching your workouts to your personality could give you better results
Matching your workouts to your personality could give you better results, according to researchers. For example, people who tend to be more introverted and negative may need frequent breaks and a private workout, while those who are more extroverted can reap the benefits of team sports and high-intensity classes, such as Barry's Bootcamp or SoulCycle. People who are more open have been found to engage in exercise regardless of whether or not they enjoyed it. 'Our brains are wired in different ways, which drives our behaviors and how we interact with our environment,' Dr. Flaminia Ronca, of University College London's Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, explained in a statement. 'So it's not surprising that personality would also influence how we respond to different intensities of exercise.' In the U.S., that may spur rising obesity rates. One in five children and two in five adults are affected by the chronic condition, leaving them at higher risk of many diseases. In 2020, just over 24 percent of U.S. adults met the 2018 national physical activity guidelines. A new analysis from children's health centers in Philadelphia and Los Angeles found that the health of American kids deteriorated across a broad spectrum of indicators between 2007 and 2023. To reach these conclusions, Ronca and her co-authors studied the behaviors of 86 participants in the U.K. They tested their baseline fitness in a lab before splitting them into two groups. One group was instructed to undertake an eight-week home fitness plan of cycling and strength training, and another continued their usual lifestyle. All participants filled out a questionnaire regarding how much they had enjoyed their participation in the study. The researchers particularly examined five personality traits - extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness. 'Understanding personality factors in designing and recommending physical activity programs is likely to be very important in determining how successful a program is, and whether people will stick with it and become fitter,' senior author Prof Paul Burgess, from the university's Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, said in a statement. They noted that the relationship between stress levels and change in fitness, finding that stress levels of both groups were similar before the study. After undergoing the home fitness plan, people who tended to be more neurotic exhibited a strong reduction in their stress levels. A survey from researchers in Ohio earlier this year found that 45 percent of U.S. adults are stressed at least once a week due to the news and social media, and that 16 percent of those respondents reported feeling stressed every day. Furthermore, workplace stress has been reported to cause 120,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 'It's fantastic news, as it highlights that those who benefit the most from a reduction in stress respond very well to exercise,' Ronca said. Previous research from the University of Missouri has shown a correlation between personality and physical function. 'We hope that if people can find physical activities that they enjoy they will more readily choose to do them,' Burgess added. The results were published on Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Matching your workouts to your personality could give you better results
Matching your workouts to your personality could give you better results, according to researchers. For example, people who tend to be more introverted and negative may need frequent breaks and a private workout, while those who are more extroverted can reap the benefits of team sports and high-intensity classes, such as Barry's Bootcamp or SoulCycle. People who are more open have been found to engage in exercise regardless of whether or not they enjoyed it. 'Our brains are wired in different ways, which drives our behaviors and how we interact with our environment,' Dr. Flaminia Ronca, of University College London's Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, explained in a statement. 'So it's not surprising that personality would also influence how we respond to different intensities of exercise.' In the U.S., that may spur rising obesity rates. One in five children and two in five adults are affected by the chronic condition, leaving them at higher risk of many diseases. In 2020, just over 24 percent of U.S. adults met the 2018 national physical activity guidelines. A new analysis from children's health centers in Philadelphia and Los Angeles found that the health of American kids deteriorated across a broad spectrum of indicators between 2007 and 2023. To reach these conclusions, Ronca and her co-authors studied the behaviors of 86 participants in the U.K. They tested their baseline fitness in a lab before splitting them into two groups. One group was instructed to undertake an eight-week home fitness plan of cycling and strength training, and another continued their usual lifestyle. All participants filled out a questionnaire regarding how much they had enjoyed their participation in the study. The researchers particularly examined five personality traits - extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness. 'Understanding personality factors in designing and recommending physical activity programs is likely to be very important in determining how successful a program is, and whether people will stick with it and become fitter,' senior author Prof Paul Burgess, from the university's Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, said in a statement. They noted that the relationship between stress levels and change in fitness, finding that stress levels of both groups were similar before the study. After undergoing the home fitness plan, people who tended to be more neurotic exhibited a strong reduction in their stress levels. A survey from researchers in Ohio earlier this year found that 45 percent of U.S. adults are stressed at least once a week due to the news and social media, and that 16 percent of those respondents reported feeling stressed every day. Furthermore, workplace stress has been reported to cause 120,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 'It's fantastic news, as it highlights that those who benefit the most from a reduction in stress respond very well to exercise,' Ronca said. Previous research from the University of Missouri has shown a correlation between personality and physical function. 'We hope that if people can find physical activities that they enjoy they will more readily choose to do them,' Burgess added. The results were published on Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
South Wales Guardian
08-07-2025
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
Personality type could influence what workouts people prefer
The link could potentially help those who try to be more active but struggle to make long-term changes to find something they enjoy, researchers said. For the study, experts from University College London (UCL) gave 132 volunteers either an eight-week cycling and strength training plan or told them to rest. Strength levels were evaluated before the start of the research using exercises like press ups and a cycling tests, while stress levels were measured on a scale of one to 10. Researchers used the Big 5 personality test to assess dominant personality traits using five distinct groups. These are extroversion, or how energetic and outgoing a person is, agreeableness, which includes attributes related to trust and compassion, conscientiousness, which reflects traits like orderliness and and reliability. The other two traits are neuroticism, which measures emotional stability and the tendency for anxiety or mood swings, and openness, which describes a person's willingness to try new experiences. Dr Flaminia Ronca, of UCL's surgery and interventional science and the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health (ISEH), said: 'We found some clear links between personality traits and the type of exercise the participants enjoyed most, which I think is important because we could potentially use this knowledge to tailor physical activity recommendations to the individual – and hopefully help them to become and remain more active.' Of the group, some 86 people completed the programme. Researchers found extroverts tended to enjoy high intensity workouts, such as high intensity interval training (HIIT). Elsewhere, those with strong neuroticism traits preferred bursts of activity over prolonged intensity. They also preferred not being monitored or recording their heart rate during the study, which researchers suggest could indicated they prefer being given space and independence while exercising. Dr Ronca added: 'We know that the global population is becoming increasingly sedentary. 'You often hear about people trying to become more active, but struggling to make lasting changes. 'In this study, we wanted to understand how personality can influence this to support the development of effective interventions for changes in health behaviour.' Professor Paul Burgess, from the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, said: 'We found that people who scored more highly in the neuroticism personality trait showed a particularly strong reduction in stress when they undertook the fitness training recommended in the study. 'This suggests that there may be particular benefits in stress reduction for those with this trait.'
Irish Independent
08-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Personality type could influence what workouts people prefer
The link could potentially help those who try to be more active but struggle to make long-term changes to find something they enjoy, researchers said. For the study, experts from University College London (UCL) gave 132 volunteers either an eight-week cycling and strength training plan or told them to rest. Strength levels were evaluated before the start of the research using exercises like press ups and a cycling tests, while stress levels were measured on a scale of one to 10. Researchers used the Big 5 personality test to assess dominant personality traits using five distinct groups. These are extroversion, or how energetic and outgoing a person is, agreeableness, which includes attributes related to trust and compassion, conscientiousness, which reflects traits like orderliness and and reliability. The other two traits are neuroticism, which measures emotional stability and the tendency for anxiety or mood swings, and openness, which describes a person's willingness to try new experiences. Dr Flaminia Ronca, of UCL's surgery and interventional science and the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health (ISEH), said: 'We found some clear links between personality traits and the type of exercise the participants enjoyed most, which I think is important because we could potentially use this knowledge to tailor physical activity recommendations to the individual – and hopefully help them to become and remain more active.' Of the group, some 86 people completed the programme. Researchers found extroverts tended to enjoy high intensity workouts, such as high intensity interval training (HIIT). Elsewhere, those with strong neuroticism traits preferred bursts of activity over prolonged intensity. They also preferred not being monitored or recording their heart rate during the study, which researchers suggest could indicated they prefer being given space and independence while exercising. Dr Ronca added: 'We know that the global population is becoming increasingly sedentary. 'You often hear about people trying to become more active, but struggling to make lasting changes. 'In this study, we wanted to understand how personality can influence this to support the development of effective interventions for changes in health behaviour.' Professor Paul Burgess, from the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, said: 'We found that people who scored more highly in the neuroticism personality trait showed a particularly strong reduction in stress when they undertook the fitness training recommended in the study. 'This suggests that there may be particular benefits in stress reduction for those with this trait.'
