Yes, physical activity is good for your health, but sometimes – OK, maybe a lot – you just don’t want to. How do you get yourself up and going when inspiration lags? According to a new study, the answer may be a little friendly competition.
In a study out Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers have found that gamifying physical activity objectives encourages people to take more steps per day than merely setting a goal. And when it came to sticking with exercise over the long haul, competition motivated people more than collaboration or peer support.
“Competition led to sustained increases in physical activity, possibly by better motivating individuals to create new habits,” University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine behavioral health expert Mitesh Patel, who led the new research, said in an email.
Patel and a team of researchers recruited about 600 overweight and obese adults employed at ...
