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The Borg Scale of ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) is widely used to determine subjective exercise difficulty. However, RPE does not indicate emotional state of exercising humans. Consequently, the Self-Assessment Mannikin (SAM) of emotional states was used in conjunction with the Borg Scale to determine valence, arousal and dominance feelings during exercise of 3 different intensities in men and women. PURPOSE: To determine human emotional responses to exercise at various intensities. METHODS: Participants (n=28; female =18, male = 10) reported SAM and RPE prior to and at 17.5 minutes during steady state cycle ergometer exercise designed to elicit 40% (LOW), 60% (MOD), or 80% (HIGH) of maximal oxygen consumption. Data were analyzed using a 2 factor (3: intensity x 2: sex) repeated measures ANOVA and presented as mean (SD). RESULTS: RPE was significantly greater at each exercise intensity (9.2 (1.9), 11.3 (2.0) vs 13.9 (1.8) for the LOW, MOD and HIGH intensities, respectively; pConclusion: At the highest intensity, participants reported significantly different emotional states as measured by SAM. These observations have implications for exercise prescription, adherence and mood.

When external stimuli cause a physiological response associated with arousal (increased adrenaline and cortisol), human memory is improved. Limited evidence suggests that exercise, a potent physiological stress, can improve memory as well. Consequently, this study aimed to further examine the exercise intensity-induced enhancement in memory and the relative timing of stimulus presentation on this phenomenon. 28 young adults were divided into 3 groups: viewing images before exercise (TG1), viewing images immediately after exercise (TG2) and viewing images 30 minutes post exercise (TG3). Each participant completed either rest, low (40% of VO2peak), moderate (60% of VO2peak), or high intensity (80% of VO2peak) cycle ergometry on separate days as the exercise stress. Correctly recalled images 45min after presentation were observed for memory. No significant differences were found between exercise intensities or timing groups (p >0.05). However, further research is required to establish exercise as a method to improve memory at longer periods.