Something to think about.

Scientists have revealed what millions of people have always wanted to hear: You really can think yourself slim and fit!

I think about going to the gym most days. I usually think about going tomorrow, or next week, to be precise. But according to new research, I am getting fitter just thinking about it. Well, I would be if I thought about it in the right way. Confused?

Reseach has shown that people who do physically demanding jobs and know about the potential health benefits of their work lose more weight and have lower blood pressure than those who do the same jobs but do not realise the positive side-effects. It’s all down to the placebo effect – the effect that scientists like to pin any complementary health successes on.

Psychologists at Harvard University studied 84 women who worked as hotel housekeepers, cleaning rooms and changing sheets.

They found some of them were worried that they weren’t doing enough exercise, even though their jobs are physically demanding. The researchers pointed this out to half the women, telling them they were doing enough exercise through their job to lose weight and stay healthy.

The other half were kept in the dark about the health benefits of their daily chores. After four weeks, the cleaners who were told they were doing lots of exercise at work had lost two pounds on average, lowered their blood pressure by almost 10 per cent, and shed almost 0.5 per cent of their body fat.

The other group experienced no noticeable changes in their health or physique, according to the study published in the journal Psychological Science.

Lead researcher Ellen Langer said there was no difference in their activity levels and said "The changes were a function of the change in mindset alone.

"If you can put the mind in a healthy place, you can have dramatic physiological consequences. If the mind is fully in a healthy place, the body will be as well. “If people can fully persuade themselves that what they’re doing is exercise, this effect will work. But most people aren’t led to believe it, and so it won’t work.”

Diana L. Steplyk, coaching assistant for the Harvard women’s volleyball team said that having the proper mindset while working out can be helpful.

“I think it’s true that if you have the right mindset when you’re working out rather than just going through the motions, your body will react positively,” she said. “We always try to get our girls focused and in the moment.”