Amy S. Welch

Do 'Mind over Muscle' Strategies Work?: Examining the Effects of Attentional Association and Dissociation on Exertional, Affective and Physiological Responses to Exercise

Despite the well established physical and psychological benefits derived from leading a physically active life, rates of sedentary behaviour remain high. Dropout and non-compliance are major contributors to the problem of physical inactivity. Perceptions of exertion, affective responses (e.g. displeasure or discomfort), and physiological stress could make the exercise experience aversive, particularly for beginners. Shifting one’s attentional focus towards environmental stimuli (dissociation) instead of one’s body (association) has been theorized to enhance psychological responses and attenuate physiological stress. Research evidence on the effectiveness of attentional focus strategies, however, has been perplexing, covering the entire gamut of possible outcomes (association and dissociation having been shown to be both effective and ineffective). This article examines the effects of manipulations of attentional focus on exertional and affective responses, as well as on exercise economy and tolerance. The possible roles of the characteristics of the exercise stimulus (intensity, duration) and the exercise participants, methodological issues, and limitations of experimental designs are discussed. In particular, the critical role of exercise intensity is emphasized. Dissociative strategies may be more effective in reducing perceptions of exertion and enhancing affective responses at low to moderate exercise intensities, but their effectiveness may be diminished at higher and nearmaximal levels, at which physiological cues dominate. Conversely, associative strategies could enable the exerciser to regulate intensity to avoid injury or overexertion. Thus, depending on intensity, both strategies have a place in the ‘toolbox’ of the public health or exercise practitioner as methods of enhancing the exercise experience and promoting long-term compliance.

Transformational and transactional leadership and exercise-related self-efficacy: an exploratory study.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between transformational and transactional leadership behaviors and the self-efficacy ofparticipants involved in a structured 10-week exercise program. Three weeksinto their exercise classes 174 females (M age = 25.36 years, SD = 8.48) provided ratings of their exercise instructors leadership behaviors as well as their personal efficacy related to scheduling, over-coming barriers and within-class capabilities. Results revealed that for exercise initiates, contingent rewards behaviors were able to explain unique variation in scheduling self-efficacy and barrier self-efficacy, but not within-class self-efficacy. For experienced exercisers, none of the leadership behaviors assessed in this study were associated with participant self-efficacy.

Web-Based Behavioral Intervention Increases Maternal Exercise but Does Not Prevent Excessive Gestational Weight Gain in Previously Sedentary Women

BACKGROUND Innovative methods are warranted to optimize prenatal outcomes. This studys objective was to determine if a web-based behavioral intervention (BI) can prevent excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) by increasing physical activity (PA). METHODS Participants were randomized to usual care (UC; n = 21) or BI (n = 24) between 10 to 14 weeks gestation. GWG, PA, and diet were assessed at baseline, mid-, and late pregnancy. RESULTS No differences in GWG or adherence to GWG recommendations presented between groups. Total UC MET-minutes significantly decreased from baseline to late-pregnancy (1,234 ± 372 MET-minutes, P = .013). Mid-pregnancy sustained PA was greater for BI than UC (20-minute PA bouts: 122 ± 106 vs. 46 ± 48 minutes/week, P = .005; 30-minute PA bouts: 74 ± 70 vs. 14 ± 24 minutes/week, P < .001), and greater for BI at mid-pregnancy compared with baseline (20-minute PA bouts: 61.3 ± 21.9; 30-minute PA bouts: 39.6 ± 14.8, both P < .05). BI energy intake at mid-pregnancy significantly increased from baseline (336 ± 127 kcals, P = .04) and was significantly greater than UC (2,503 ± 703 vs. 1,894 ± 594, P = .005). CONCLUSIONS Sedentary pregnant women should increase PA but may need additional dietary counseling to prevent excessive GWG.