Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and aerobic exercise training (AET) programs improve health and well-being. Exercise participation has been related to mindfulness and may be altered by MBSR training.PurposeThis study aimed to compare 8 wk of MBSR, AET, and no-treatment control during the fall season on objectively measured physical activity in healthy adults.MethodsParticipants (n = 66) wore an ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer for 7 d prerandomization and after 8 wk MBSR or AET interventions, or neither (control). Mean daily minutes (min) of moderate-to-vigorous physical activities (MVPA) were calculated along with weekly time spent in bouts of MVPA ≥10 min (MVPABouts) to assess physical activity sufficient to meet national guidelines. Groups were compared on pairwise changes in outcomes across time. Effect sizes were calculated using Cohen’s d.ResultsSufficient data (≥3 weekdays, ≥1 weekend day, and ≥10 h·d−1) were obtained from 49 participants (18 MBSR, 14 AET, and 17 control). Daily MVPA decreased in all groups from prerandomization to postintervention (August to November); control decreased 17.9 ± 25.7 min·d−1, MBSR decreased 5.7 ± 7.5 min·d−1, and AET decreased 7.4 ± 14.3 min·d−1 (mean ± SD), without significant differences among the groups (all P > 0.05). MVPABouts decreased 77.3 ± 106.6 min·wk−1 in control and 15.5 ± 37.0 min·wk−1 in MBSR (between-group difference: P = 0.08; d = 0.86), whereas it increased by 5.7 ± 64.1 min·wk−1 in AET (compared with control: P = 0.029; d = 0.97; compared with MBSR; P = 0.564; d = 0.29).ConclusionData from participants in a randomized controlled trial showed that although AET increases MVPA bouts compared with no treatment, MBSR training may also mitigate the influence of shorter day length and cooler weather on participation in physical activities. Future research is needed to determine how MBSR affects exercise to inform interventions. Interventions combining MBSR and exercise may be particularly successful at increasing physical activity participation.
Mercury (Hg) contamination in remote lakes stems from atmospheric Hg transport to surface waters and subsequent conversion by microbes to neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg) that biomagnifies in pelagic food webs. Despite declines in anthropogenic Hg emissions and downward trends for Hg in precipitation, many fisheries remain contaminated in otherwise pristine regions. Here, we report that trends in bioaccumulation are confounded by a near-decadal oscillation of the water cycle that is connected to large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns. In hundreds of lakes within the upper Laurentian Great Lakes region, mercury levels in pelagic fish and piscivorous birds oscillate in phase with near-decadal changes in water level, independent of atmospheric Hg loading. Geochemical data suggest that the cause is variation in the microbial production of MeHg as littoral sediments dry out and reflood. A recently amplified oscillation of the water cycle points to more intense episodes of fish contamination as the climate warms, further obscuring the benefit of reduced Hg emissions.
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