People should be encouraged to don their gym clothing and exercise more from a young age, a PhD thesis has suggested.

Written by Marta Arrue and presented at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), the thesis is titled Lifestyle Habits and Psychological Factors in Adolescence and Youth in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country.

Ms Arrue studied 2,018 young people and found that many believe they are healthier than they actually are.

She concluded that special attention should be paid to 16-year-olds, as this is the age at which either healthy activities are adopted and stuck to or bad habits are selected.

"The fight against bad lifestyle habits requires a multifactorial and pluridisciplinary approach, and behoves us to detect the problem as early as possible, especially taking into account the groups at risk," a statement from Basque Research reads.

Last month, researchers from Northwestern University in Illinois suggested that women can prevent weight gain when they get older if they exercise nearly every day when they are young.

Posted by Tina Wilson ADNFCR-2569-ID-800321149-ADNFCR

Sport & Fitness Clothing News - Latest Stories

Danger of exercise to hypertensive people 'blocked'

Posted on 06-Apr-11

Scientists have found a way of preventing a greater increase in the blood pressure of women with hypertension when they exercise in their ladies running clothing.

Sport for all initiative hailed a success

Posted on 06-Apr-11

People of all ages, abilities and walks of life donned their gym clothing recently to take part in free sports sessions at the University of Nottingham.

Exercise 'keeps the heart young'

Posted on 05-Apr-11

Women who exercise regularly throughout their lives have stronger, healthier hearts than those who do not don their ladies fitness clothing often, a study has suggested.

Using own body mass 'is helpful in resistance exercise'

Posted on 04-Apr-11

Older women can benefit from donning their gym clothing and taking part in resistance exercises that include using their own body weight.

Progressive resistance training 'is good for seniors'

Posted on 01-Apr-11

Progressive resistance training can help elderly women to improve their strength in their ladies fitness clothing.