Exercise can ease the mind along with the tension from a tight waistband, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Vermont, including Mountain State-native Jeremy Sibold.

Sibold, who attended West Virginia Wesleyan College and is the former faculty chair of Wesleyan's exercise department, led the research, which found that moderate exercise improves mood immediately and with lasting effects.

Sibold currently is an assistant professor of rehabilitation and movement science at the University of Vermont.

The research findings recently were featured in USA Today and U.S. News and World Report.

Sibold and co-author Kathy Berg randomly assigned 48 healthy men and women, ages 18 to 25, to either a control group that did not exercise or to a group that spent time riding an exercise bike. Participants in both groups were asked to complete questionnaires that evaluated their moods at several intervals.

Sibold found that the exercisers' moods were better than that of the sedentary individuals immediately after the workout and up to 12 hours later. The study found that men and women benefit equally and the fitness level of the participants had little to no influence.

Robert Skinner, director of marketing and communications for Wesleyan, said Sibold "fell in love" with Wesleyan's sports medicine clinic as soon as he stepped on campus.

"He came as a student at Wesleyan in 1992, and I actually recruited him, because I was director of admission," Skinner said. "Sports medicine became his passion."

Sibold said it only takes a few minutes a day to lift a mood, so everyone should pick an enjoyable activity and perform it every day.

"Daily exercise can improve your mood and mitigate some of the stresses of your day," Sibold said in a news release. "It is clear that exercise is critical for both physical and mental health."

The American College of Sports Medicine guidelines support the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week.

Skinner said Sibold has been studying the issue of exercise and mood for many years.

"The fact that he's a native West Virginian speaks well that we're paying attention to the issue," Skinner said.

"If you would come to Buckhannon you would find that Wesleyan's exercise department is using the local cable access channel to talk about fitness and using calories and trying to be healthy."