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Several theoretical frameworks have been used to understand exercise adherence. Basic psychological needs (BPN), grounded on self-determination theory, have received large attention for this purpose. More recently, the hedonic theory and the assumptions related to the exercise characteristics (e.g., intensity) that can bolster positive affective responses have been revitalized. This study aimed to explore the associations between the agreement of current exercise intensity and the one individually preferred, BPN satisfaction/frustration, enjoyment, the intention to continue exercise, and exercise frequency. Additionally, an exploration of the direct and indirect effects while testing sex as a moderator was performed. A sample of 369 exercisers (M age  = 43.6, standard deviation = 12.96; 214 females) enrolled in 26 health clubs participated in this study voluntarily. Data were received in a first-approach descriptive and correlational analyses. Next, a moderated mediation was performed using model 15 (PROCESS v.4.2). As a result, agreement in preference for exercise intensity was positively associated with enjoyment (r = 0.35), intention (r = 0.43), and all needs satisfaction (ranging from r = 0.12 to r = 0.45) and negatively associated with all needs frustration (ranging from r = -0.15 to r = -0.31). In the moderated mediation analysis, the same pattern of results emerged in direct effects. Indirect effects were significant for autonomy in the enjoyment and frequency models. Findings suggest that promoting an individually adjusted training intensity may foster BPN satisfaction. It appears to be present an independent (of needs) and positive association with exercise enjoyment and intention to continue exercising., (© 2024 The Author(s). European Journal of Sport Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH on behalf of European College of Sport Science.)

Background: Affective responses are increasingly recognized as potentially effective intervention targets that may facilitate exercise and physical activity behavior change. While emerging correlational evidence suggests that more pleasant affective responses are associated with higher participation and adherence, experimental evidence remains scarce. In light of this, we conducted a preregistered, pragmatic, single-blinded, superiority randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups, with the goal of determining the impact of an individualized exercise-intensity prescription targeting pleasure on exercise frequency., Methods: Forty-seven non-regular exercisers were randomized into two groups. For both groups, the intervention consisted of three exercise sessions based on the Frequency-Intensity-Time-Type (FITT) principle. However, the experimental group also received an individualized intensity prescription based on prior assessment of preference for and tolerance of exercise intensity, as well as instructions emphasizing the promotion of pleasure as a basis for self-regulating exercise intensity. The primary outcome was gymnasium attendance over an eight-week follow-up period. Secondary outcomes were affective valence and arousal, post-exercise enjoyment, core affective exercise experiences, and anticipated and remembered affect., Results: Forty-six participants were retained for analysis (M age  = 32.00; SD = 8.62 years; 56.5% female). Compared to the control group, the experimental group exhibited 77% higher session attendance (14.35 vs. 8.13 sessions) over the eight-week follow-up period (group main effect p = .018, η 2 p  = .120; Cohen's d ranged from 0.28 to 0.91 during follow-up). Also, the experimental group reported higher levels of pleasure during the intervention sessions (for all group main effects, p < .001, η 2 p from .33 to .37) and higher levels of remembered pleasure (group main effect p = .021, η 2 p  = .116) and anticipated pleasure (group main effect p = .022, η 2 p  = .114). No harm was detected., Conclusions: These results demonstrate the practicality and effectiveness of an intervention aimed at enhancing affective responses to exercise in improving short-term session attendance., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrial.gov NCT05416593., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Affective responses during exercise have been identified as a predictor of exercise adherence. However, research has been mostly limited to aerobic and resistance exercise. Considering that stretching activities are also an important component of physical fitness, this quasi-experimental study was designed to: 1) compare affective responses during and immediately after stretching exercises in apparently healthy adults, and 2) assess the consistency and repeatability of affect ratings obtained one week apart. For this purpose, we analyzed the Feeling Scale (FS) and Felt Arousal Scale (FAS) ratings using Time (during and after stretching) x Intensity (light, moderate, vigorous) x Stretched Muscle Group (quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, latissimus dorsi, triceps) with repeated measures analysis of variance (ANCOVA) in 34 participants (21 males; aged 32.8 ± 8.6 years). The repeatability of FS and FAS ratings was assessed using two-way random-effects models, Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC), and Bland-Altman plots. FS scores were higher following the stretching exercises, whereas FAS scores were lower, particularly in the vigorous intensity. In general, the inter-day repeatability for FS and FAS measurements was good across muscle groups. ICC tended to be higher at vigorous intensities. Ratings of core affect can be collected during static passive stretches using the FAS and FAS in ecologically valid settings. These results suggest that an adequate assessment of core affective responses to stretching activities should be performed during the exercises., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Cortical changes resulting from physical activity and differences in the estimation of the time of practitioners and non-practitioners of physical activity have already been documented. However, there aren't studies that compare the cortical responses of the time estimate between these groups. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the influence of the level of physical activity in time estimation and beta band activity in frontal regions, specifically in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, and parietal cortex during the task of estimating time in practitioners and non-practitioners of physical activity. After characterizing the sample, the signal was captured using an electroencephalogram during a task to estimate the time of four intervals of supraseconds. The results indicated that the practitioners of physical activity had lower errors in the evaluation of time for the intervals of 1 s, 7 s, and 9 s. The beta band showed less activity among practitioners of physical activity. The correlation between task performance and the absolute power of the beta band proved to be positive in the task of estimating time in the 7 s, and 9 s intervals. It was concluded that participants involved in the regular practice of physical activity showed underestimation in the temporal judgment and lower absolute power of the beta band during the time estimate., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)