If you’re heavier and find it hard to exercise, there may be a new solution for you. Vibrating your body!
This new discovery isn’t for everyone but for those who can benefit from it, it seems like great news.
Research has just discovered that vibrating your body could very likely be just as effective for physical health as getting some exercise, if you’re obese.
Why did scientists look at this in the first place? About 1 in 6 Americans are heavy enough to be classified as being extremely obese and it’s a problem. Being extremely overweight lowers a person’s quality of life as it limits how much one can move around and participate in activities.
(photo credit: www.pixabay.com)
It’s also a strong contributing factor when it comes to developing heart disease and diabetes.
But once you reach the size of being morbidly obese, it can be hard to reverse your life style. Moving around can become so difficult that incorporating more exercise into your life can feel, and sort of become, next to impossible.
Related: How Taking Selfies Led This Woman to Overcome Depression and Personal Loss and Lose 124 Pounds
It’s not so easy to go out for a long walk or jump on a bicycle for some fresh wind and sunshine if you’re winded very quickly, have bad knees or a sore back, and can’t hold your balance well.
Shaky Mice
(photo credit: www.pixabay.com)
And so, scientists from Augusta University in Georgia analyzed how something called Whole Body Vibration (WBV) affects mice that are obese. They placed some mice on mini treadmills and exposed others to 20 minutes of WBV at a frequency of 32 Hz each day. A third group of mice got no exercise at all.
Some of the mice were of normal, healthy weight and fitness levels, and others were obese.
The results? Vibrating the healthy mice that were of normal weight didn’t really do anything, but for those that were obese, it worked.
Related: Americans Are 15lbs Heavier On Average
The results for these mice of being vibrated and getting exercise on the treadmill were basically the same.
Metabolisms went up, muscle mass went up as well as insulin sensitivity. (If you’ve been looking for those three reasons, you just found them).
Researchers even suggested that it might benefit bone mass.
The Future
(photo credit: www.pixabay.com)
While the study was conducted on mice and not humans, researchers say that the results were encouraging.
How science will vibrate the whole body of a morbidly obese person them help them benefit is unanswered but it’s intriguing. Maybe it won’t be just public gyms out there anymore but also Whole Body Vibration institutes, where you can go for a shake and an herbal tea every morning.
Related: There Are Now More Obese Women Than Men in the U.S
Sounds fun. Anything that gets us up, interested and moving around towards a better life is beneficial and a good start.
To learn more about obesity, visit the Obesity Society online and the World Obesity Federation.
Photo credit: Amani A/Shutterstock
