Enjoyment during Exercise Mediates the Effects of an Intervention on Exercise Adherence

Abstract

Regular\rparticipation in physical activity is associated with a variety of health\rbenefits and a reduction in diverse chronic diseases. However, empirical\rstudies have shown that about 50% of the participants in exercise programs drop\rout during the first six months. One strategy to increase regular physical\ractivity would be to promote positive feelings during exercise. The purposes of\rthis experimental study were a) to investigate whether the affective states can\rbe influenced by specific interventions and b) to link these changes in\raffective states to exercise adherence. The trainers of the experimental group\rwere instructed to promote positive emotions (e.g. pleasure and fun) during\rexercise according to specific principles. The trainers of the control group\rwere instructed to comply with the recommendations of the American College of\rSports Medicine. 24 participants in the experimental group and 17 participants\rin the control group were recruited for this study. The results of the repeated\rmeasures analyses of variance provide a significant time by group interaction\rsuggesting that participants of the intervention group increased their\raffective ratings significantly compared to the control group. The results of\rthe hierarchical regression analyses support the hypothesis that the changes in\raffective ratings related to exercise mediated the effects of intervention on\rphysical activity adherence. This study provides evidence that affective states\rduring exercise can be systematically influenced to increase physical activity\radherence. Principles on how to increase positive affective judgments related\rto exercising can be drawn from this study and eventually be used in order to\rpromote regular physical activity among a large part of the population.