| Abstract | Mindfulness can be defined as paying attention nonjudgmentally, in the present moment,
and being accepting of thoughts (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). Previous research has highlighted how
mindfulness can be used to build physical activity habits, namely through enjoyment of physical
activity, and utilizing associative attention during an exercise task which contradicts typical
thinking about enjoyment of exercise (Cox et al., 2018; Cox et al., 2020; Yang & Conroy, 2019).
The purpose of the current study was to examine if mainstream mindfulness delivered via
technology could be used to increase the enjoyment of exercise within an active population. A
total of 32 participants between 18 and 37 years of age (21.09 + 3.66) who met World Health
Organization (WHO) physical activity guidelines and had no previous experience with
mindfulness or meditation were included. Participants were either in the mindfulness
intervention (n = 17) or control condition (n = 15). Participants completed ten visits over four
weeks, each visit consisting of watching an episode of either Headspace Guide to Meditation or
Wild Babies on Netflix, followed by a 25-minute rowing task. Results found that the intervention
group exercised at a higher intensity and with associative attention, whereas the control group
exercised at a lower intensity, with dissociative attention, and all participants reported the same
rating of perceived exertion. The mindful exercisers experienced improved forecasted and
remembered pleasure from the intervention, indicating that they had better positive perceptions
of the exercise they completed, leading them to be more optimistic about their next exercise
bout. This research benefits exercise professionals to understand better how mindfulness can be
used to improve enjoyment of exercise, leading future research to investigate if the same results
can be found for inactive populations, who could use the intervention to create and sustain
exercise habits. |
