Moms that are struggling to find time to exercise may benefit from joining other mothers in exercising, a new Australian study finds.
Young mothers least likely to exercise According to the study, young mothers between the ages of 18 and 22 are particularly unlikely to be adequately physically active. "Less than half (46%) of this group of women engaged in adequate physical activity compared with 56% of women without children," lead investigator Dr Wendy Brown of the University of Queensland and colleagues report in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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The researchers set out to determine whether organised discussion groups to motivate mothers to exercise would benefit busy moms.
The 554 participants were divided into three groups. One group received a booklet describing how to overcome exercise barriers. The second group received the same booklet as well as meeting once a week to discuss how mothers with young children could improve their exercise habits. The third 'control' group received nothing.
Good results…for a while After eight weeks, 60% of the women who participated in the group sessions reported adequate exercise habits. Only 50% of the women who only received the booklet, and 46% of the control group reported the same.
The negative side however, was that after five months, the women had slumped back to their pre-study physical activity levels.
Nevertheless, the researchers are optimistic that support groups can help increase exercise levels in mothers with young children. - (Health24)
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