Keeping Fit: It Is All About Your Mindset

You really can think yourself fit, scientists have shown, after discovering that people who believe themselves to be physically active gain major health benefits.

A study of 60,000 people found that individuals who believed they were less active than others were up to 71 percent more likely to die in the following 21 years, even if they were relatively fit.

In contrast, those who considered themselves to be physically fit were protected against early death, even if that perception was wrong, in what researchers believe is an exercise placebo effect.