A recent study confirms that feeling when time flies by while working out. Researchers found that during exercise, people tend to feel like time is passing quicker than it is. This holds even in a competitive setting, like racing against someone. It is an interesting insight into how our minds work during physical activity and suggests that athletes might need to find different ways to stay motivated during their workouts.

When participants were asked to calculate when 30 seconds had passed, they consistently thought it was over when it was only 27 seconds. This shows that time seems to speed up by about 8-9% during workouts. Researchers wanted to understand the mechanism behind this. For this, they conducted an experiment that had 33 people ride stationary bikes for 4,000 meters.

At different points during the ride, the participants had to guess when 30 seconds had passed. They did this in different scenarios, such as riding alone, racing against a virtual opponent, or in competitive races. They also noted how hard they felt they were working. Fascinatingly, regardless of the scenario or how tired they felt, time still seemed to fly by. Even when competing, time perception remained consistent.

Although the study was small, with only 33 participants, the researchers believe their methods and findings are noteworthy. This research, published in the journal Brain and Behavior, explores how exercise influences our sense of time. Collaborating researchers from the Netherlands and England found that even during competitive exercise, time perception didn't slow down. This suggests that athletes might need other methods to stay motivated during workouts beyond just competition.

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Physical activities can reduce the risk of early deaths

The amount of physical activity can reduce the risk of early death found to a recent study, led by Dong Hoon Lee from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The recommended guidelines suggest 150–300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity or 75–150 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity activity.

Analyzing data from over 100,000 adults spanning 30 years, researchers discovered that those who followed these guidelines lowered their risk of early death by up to 21%. Additionally, the study revealed something interesting, people who exercised more than the recommended amount—specifically two to four times more—were able to further decrease their risk of early death, by as much as 31%.

Lee emphasized the importance of this finding, suggesting that it offers valuable guidance for individuals to choose the right amount and intensity of physical activity throughout their lives to maintain overall health.

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