Exercise itself, rather than actual physical fitness, can convince people that they look better, according to a new study from the University of Florida (UF).

According to the study by UF exercise psychologist Heather Hausenblas and graduate student Anna Campbell, people who don't achieve workout milestones such as losing fat, gaining strength or boosting cardiovascular fitness feel just as good about their bodies as their more athletic counterparts.

"You would think that if you become more fit that you would experience greater improvements in terms of body image, but that's not we found," said Hausenblas.

"It may be that the requirements to receive the psychological benefits of exercise, including those relating to body image, differ substantially from the physical benefits."

The study is the first to systematically analyse the wide-ranging effects of exercise on body image by examining all intervention studies on the subject until June 2008. From the 57 publications, the researchers found conclusively that exercise improved the way people see their bodies regardless of the actual benefits.

However, the study showed that women and older people were more likely to see larger benefits from exercise in terms of improving body image.