How a spot of meditation can keep flu at bay
How a spot of meditation can keep flu at bay
Exercise makes it less likely you'll get a cold, but if you can't get to the gym, meditation can work nearly as well, a study by the University of Wisconsin has revealed. An eight-week programme of either exercise or mindfulness meditation nearly halved the duration of colds in the following eight months, compared to doing neither. Here's how the results break down.
DOING NOTHING
A control group of 51 adults did no exercise or meditation for eight weeks. Most of them (40) got a cold in the following eight months and the average duration of the illness was 8.89 days.
EXERCISE
A second group of 47 adults exercised (cardio and resistance) for 45 minutes every day for eight weeks. The following eight months saw only 26 of them get ill and their colds lasted 5.04 days.
MEDITATION
A final group of 51 did mindfulness meditation (carefully thinking about tasks as they are performed) for 45 minutes a day. Only 27 got ill and they felt rotten for an average of only 5.13 days.
DOING NOTHING
A control group of 51 adults did no exercise or meditation for eight weeks. Most of them (40) got a cold in the following eight months and the average duration of the illness was 8.89 days.
EXERCISE
A second group of 47 adults exercised (cardio and resistance) for 45 minutes every day for eight weeks. The following eight months saw only 26 of them get ill and their colds lasted 5.04 days.
MEDITATION
A final group of 51 did mindfulness meditation (carefully thinking about tasks as they are performed) for 45 minutes a day. Only 27 got ill and they felt rotten for an average of only 5.13 days.
