Get motivated

WE all have great intentions regarding losing weight. But imagine the sculpted bodies we would achieve if we had the motivation to get off the sofa, put away the biscuits, and jump on the treadmill.

Swiss scientists say a new hormone therapy could encourage us to put on trainers and spring into action.

Researchers from the University of Zurich have found that when the hormone erythropoietin (Epo) was elevated in laboratory mice, they were motivated to run faster without their red-blood-cell counts being increased.

This treatment has the potential to not only encourage people to exercise, but to be beneficial to those suffering from obesity and Alzheimer’s disease, where increased physical activity is known to improve symptoms.

Speaking to the FASEB Journal, researcher Max Gassmann said: “We show that Epo increases the motivation to exercise and, most probably, has a general effect on a person’s mood and might be used in patients suffering from depression and related diseases.”

But UL physiology professor Phil Jakeman is not so sure. “Although it has been shown that Epo has potential performance-enhancement effects that are not related directly to oxygen transport, the mice used were transgenically modified to over-express Epo exclusively in the brain,” he says. “Thus, the Epo level in the brain of these mice would be non-physiological compared to that which could be achieved in humans. If I understand it correctly, a high concentration of Epo is required for Epo to cross the blood-brain barrier in man. Only in extreme cases are such changes in Epo in blood likely to occur and it is doubtful whether Epo could be directly induced in the human brain to the levels attained in these transgenic mice.”

The professor says medication is not the best route to exercise. “I’m not a great believer in a motivational exercise pill or potion,” he says. “An exercise behaviour should be encouraged early in life and, if so, is likely to be retained into later life.”

Fitness expert, Karl Henry (of Operation Transformation) says the endorphins released naturally during exercise should produce enough motivation to keep going. “Epo is used in sport, but is called blood doping and is illegal to use, but other hormones, such as endorphins, make you feel good during, and after, your exercise and these can increase your motivation and often become addictive,” he says. “The best way to motivate is to sit down and look at why you are exercising in the first place, then set goals and reward yourself when you achieve those goals. This cycle of goal/reward is the best way to ensure you stay motivated and exercising all year round.”

¦ For more information, visit www.canicekennedy.com and www.karlhenry.ie.