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Igs Swiatek ASICS Miami Open 2022

New research highlights benefits of exercise for mental health


The ‘Mind Race’ project has discovered that your ‘State of Mind’ score can drop rapidly without taking any physical exercise for just one week

Exercise has now been proven to help sustain a healthy mind as well as a healthy body thanks to ground-breaking research from global leading tennis footwear and apparel brand ASICS

The study was carried out in partnership with Dr Brendon Stubbs from Kings College London to evaluate the ‘impact of movement on minds across the world’. The scientists anaylsed a volunteers state of mind using a ‘Mind Uplifter’ measurement. The subjects were asked to exercise for a week and then stop all exercise completely for the following week and they recorded their results using a custom made digital measurement tool.

 

The ‘Mind Uplifter’ uses a combination of facial scanning technology and self-report data collection to capture the impact of sport across 10 emotional and cognitive metrics โ€“ including confidence, positivity, calm and focus โ€“ to show how different sports impact how you think and feel.

After a week of no exercise Dr Stubbs discovered some of the subjects experienced ‘quite a large decrease in calmness, confidence and composure’. The statistics showed an average 23% increase in ‘racing thoughts’ and a ‘drop in confidence’ of 20% with ‘calmness’ decreasing by an average of 19%.

The encouraging findings from the study show how just 15 minutes of exercise can result in a meaningful improvement in the ‘state of mind’ score.

ASICS have said, “We know the pandemic has had a huge impact on mental well-being of the nation. The ASICS State of Mind Index visualizes this impact and you can see why an uplift is needed.”

Newly crowned World number one women’s tennis player Iga Swiatek wears ASICS Gel-Resolution 8 trainers and she has said, “It’s important to feel peace of mind when I play, to be calm and focused”

To take part in the project try the Mind Uplift tool on ASICS.com.

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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.