Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

As Canadians focus increasingly on their health, the health and fitness industry is facing new opportunities and challenges. Most exercise programs claim similar, generic health benefits, and few, if any, have evidence to support their claims. Thus, there is an opportunity for exercise providers to evaluate their programs, identify the specific benefits they offer, and deliver a well-defined message to their target markets. In the current proposal, industry partner Chrysalis Yoga wants to compare the effects of in-studio yoga classes to running on measures of physical, mental, cognitive and social support. Based on previous research, we expect: 1) the yoga group will have similar scores to the running group on measures of mental health and cognitive performance and 2) the yoga group will score higher on measures of perceived social support. The results from this study may therefore identify specific benefits that clients can expect by attending in-studio yoga classes (compared to non-studio based group exercise programs). This project is a collaboration between Chrysalis Yoga, McMaster University and Humber College. The investigators will compare the effects of a 12 week running program to a 12 week yoga program on symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety, learning and memory, physical fitness (cardiovascular fitness, strength, flexibility) and perceived social support. Participants will be randomized to yoga or running and will complete assessments at study entry, after 12 weeks of exercise program, and after a three month period during which we will track their exercise routine. The expected findings are that the yoga program will provide comparable benefits to running on symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. This study will also provide novel data on the role of perceived social support and the specific benefit of aerobic exercise compared to strength and flexibility on learning and memory. The results from the proposed project will allow Chrysalis Yoga to improve the service they offer to their clients, by providing evidence to support the benefits of regular attendance to in-studio classes. Further, results will provide insight into the scientific benefits of yoga, and strengthen our knowledge of how exercise can improve mental and physical benefits.