Jasmin C. Hutchinson

The influence of self-selected music on affect-regulated exercise intensity and remembered pleasure during treadmill running.

This study explored the influence of self-selected music on affect-regulated exercise intensity and remembered pleasure. A total of 17 active male and female participants (28.1 ± 9.9 years; BMI 23.8 ± 3.2 kg/m2; oxygen uptake (VO2) peak 48.73 ± 8.73 ml.min−1.kg−1) completed a maximal exercise test, and each individual’s ventilatory threshold was identified. Following this, two treadmill exercise trials were performed at an intensity that was perceived to correspond to a Feeling Scale value of +3 (i.e., “good”). Sessions with either self-selected music or no music were completed 48 hr apart and in a randomized counterbalanced order. Affective responses (Feeling Scale) and heart rate were measured during exercise and remembered pleasure was measured 5 min post exercise. Results indicated that participants selected an exercise intensity that exceeded their ventilatory threshold during the two affect-regulated exercise sessions (p = .002, d = .99). Participants exercised with greater intensity during affect-regulated exercise with music than without (p = .045; d = 1.12) while maintaining a “good” feeling. Furthermore, participants recalled the music session as more pleasurable than the no-music session (p = .001; d = .72). These results illustrate a positive ergogenic and psychological influence of music during affect-regulated exercise. Encouraging individuals to exercise at an intensity that feels “good” elicits an exercise intensity sufficient to garner cardiorespiratory benefits and may lead to improved adherence. Moreover, the use of self-selected music appears to augment this effect.

The Diabeates Project: Perceptual, Affective and Psychophysiological Effects of Music and Music-Video in a Clinical Exercise Setting

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of music and music-video on perceptual (attentional focus, rated perceived exertion), affective (affective valence and enjoyment) and psychophysiological (blood glucose, heart rate) variables in outpatients attending a diabetes exercise clinic. METHODS Participants were 24 females (age = 66.0 ± 8.5 years) enrolled in a supervised exercise program for people with diabetes. They engaged in mixed-modality exercise sessions that included a standardized combination of flexibility, aerobic and resistance activities under conditions of music, music-video and control. RESULTS Analyses revealed a main effect of condition on attentional focus and affect during aerobic exercise only. The music-video condition elicited the highest level of attentional dissociation, while affective valence was more positive in the 2 experimental conditions when compared to control. Rated perceived exertion and heart rate did not differ across conditions. Measures of exercise enjoyment indicated a main effect of condition wherein scores were higher with the music-video condition when compared to control. There was an acute glucose-lowering effect of exercise in all conditions. CONCLUSIONS Results lend support to the notion that auditory and visual stimuli can enhance affective responses to exercise in a clinical setting. This may have meaningful implications for adherence, given the link between affective judgements and future behaviour in an exercise context.

The Effects of Music and a Coxswain on Attentional Focus, Perceived Exertion, Motivation, and Performance During a 1,000 m Ergometer Rowing Sprint

Music has often been portrayed as a dissociative (i.e., distracting) mechanism. This study demonstrates that music may not be unifunctional in regards to attentional focus; that is, external concentration on music can coexist with task-relevant thoughts. Female intercollegiate rowers (N = 26) performed four 1,000 m sprints on a rowing ergometer at maximal effort under music, coxswain, combined music and coxswain, and control conditions. Findings indicate that during the 1,000 m rowing sprint, both external and task-relevant dimensions of attentional focus can exist simultaneously. This implies a new consideration of music as either dissociative or associative based on task-related factors.

The Effects of Mental Imagery with Video-Modeling on Self-Efficacy and Maximal Front Squat Ability

This study was designed to assess the effectiveness of mental imagery supplemented with video-modeling on self-efficacy and front squat strength (three repetition maximum; 3RM). Subjects (13 male, 7 female) who had at least 6 months of front squat experience were assigned to either an experimental (n = 10) or a control (n = 10) group. Subjects′ 3RM and self-efficacy for the 3RM were measured at baseline. Following this, subjects in the experimental group followed a structured imagery protocol, incorporating video recordings of both their own 3RM performance and a model lifter with excellent technique, twice a day for three days. Subjects in the control group spent the same amount of time viewing a placebo video. Following three days with no physical training, measurements of front squat 3RM and self-efficacy for the 3RM were repeated. Subjects in the experimental group increased in self-efficacy following the intervention, and showed greater 3RM improvement than those in the control group. Self-efficacy was found to significantly mediate the relationship between imagery and front squat 3RM. These findings point to the importance of mental skills training for the enhancement of self-efficacy and front squat performance.

Are the Measurements of Attention Allocation and Perceived Exertion Trustworthy

Two studies examined the trustworthiness of commonly used measurement scales for ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and state attentional focus (SAF) during exercise. In Study 1, participants (N = 24, 14 female) performed a treadmill graded-exercise test. The order of scale presentation during the task was manipulated (i.e., RPE followed by SAF or vice versa). In Study 2 the same order manipulation was used while participants (N = 70, 36 female) performed a stepping task for three consecutive trials. Additionally, time intervals between scale presentations were manipulated (i.e., 30 sec, 60 sec, or 90 sec) and counterbalanced between trials. Non-significant order effects of RPE and SAF emerged in both studies; however, a more frequent presentation of the two scales (30 sec and 60 sec) yielded higher RPE scores and increased associative attentional focus than a less frequent presentation (90 sec). The authors recommend minimizing measurement interruptions during the measurement process.

Changes in Sitting Time and Sitting Fragmentation after a Workplace Sedentary Behaviour Intervention

Prolonged sedentary behaviour (SB) has shown to be detrimental to health. Nevertheless, population levels of SB are high and interventions to decrease SB are needed. This study aimed to explore the effect of a personalized intervention aimed at reducing SB and increasing breaks in SB among college employees. A pre-experimental study design was used. Participants (n = 36) were recruited at a college in Massachusetts, USA. SB was measured over 7 consecutive days using an activPAL3 accelerometer. Following baseline measures, all participants received a personalized SB consultation which focused on limiting bouts of SB >30 min, participants also received weekly follow-up e-mails. Post-intervention measures were taken after 16 weeks. Primary outcome variables were sedentary minutes/day and SB bouts >30 min. Differences between baseline and follow-up were analyzed using paired t-tests. The intervention did not change daily sedentary time (−0.48%; p > 0.05). The number of sedentary bouts >30 min decreased significantly by 0.52 bouts/day (p = 0.010). In this study, a personalized SB intervention was successful in reducing number of bouts >30 min of SB. However, daily sedentary time did not reduce significantly. These results indicate that personalized, consultation-based interventions may be effective if focused on a specific component of SB.