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Working out regularly and still not satisfied with your appearance? The culprit could be your fitness routine. A study published in Psychology of Women Quarterly suggests that women who do mind-body exercise such as yoga, Pilates and martial arts are happier with how they look and have fewer symptoms of eating disorders than those who do aerobics.
According to study author Jennifer Daubenmier, Ph.D., a researcher at Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, mind-body exercise teaches you to "listen" to your bodily sensations. "Because of this awareness, less importance is placed on outward appearance," she writes.
Desiree Palanisamy, founder of Breathe Yoga, Pilates & Integrated Movement studio in Bay Shore, New York, adds, "In mind-body exercise we don't have the mirrors you find in most aerobic settings, so you're not constantly facing your physical self. The physical benefits simply come."
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