Effects of a single aerobic exercise session on body image

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Most research on the effects of exercise on body image has concentrated on the benefits of regular exercise. However, some research has indicated that exercise has an immediate impact on body image. The aims of this study were to investigate the immediate effects of aerobic exercise in a fitness class and the at-home environment on body image, and to examine the impact of nutritional status (i.e., normal weight vs. overweight/obesity) and exercise addiction on these changes. Method: 322 Hungarian women participated in the study with two different environmental conditions, fitness class condition (N = 155) and at-home video condition (N = 167). They completed the Body Appreciation Scale and Exercise Addiction Inventory before and after a one-hour aerobic exercise session. Self-report data on weight, height and exercise frequency were also collected. Results: There were no significant differences between the fitness class and video groups in terms of age, educational level, BMI, body appreciation, exercise frequency and exercise addiction. We found that 7.5% (N = 24) of the participants were at risk for exercise addiction. Aerobic exercise had a significant positive effect on body appreciation (t(321) = 7.564, p < .001) independently from environment and nutritional status. Exercise addiction moderated the relationship between exercise and body image, the at risk for exercise addiction group showed the greatest improvement (F(1) = 3.252, p = .040). Conclusion: The results indicate that even a one-hour aerobic exercise session has a positive effect on body image; this has important practical implications for intervention strategies and weight-loss treatments.

Body-image and -size perception after a single session of HIIT body work in healthy adult men

“…Further factors also include sex, age, mean and the relationship of the body with cognitive processes such as cultural and social beliefs, values and attitudes (Rica et al, 2018a;Gardner, 2011). In relationship to body image and exercise, studies have shown improvement on body image after acute (Béres, Czeglédi & Babusa, 2017;Carraro, Nart & Scarpa, 2010) and chronic (Baştuğ et al, 2016;Vocks et al, 2009) protocols. However, no significant differences were found in our study after a single session of HIIT body work.…”

Body Positive

“…Results indicated that women in both groups showed a moderate improvement in body appreciation following the one-hour exercise session. Further, no significant differences in body appreciation were found between the two groups (Béres et al, 2017). These two studies provide preliminary evidence for the positive association between exercise and positive body image.…”

“…At least two quantitative studies have specifically looked at the association between exercise and positive body image (Béres, Czeglédi, & Babusa, 2017;Homan & Tylka, 2014). The first study found that college-aged women (N = 321) who frequently engaged in moderate exercise also reported greater body appreciation, internal body orientation, and body functionality satisfaction.…”

Study on the impact of aerobic exercise on self-image in young women

“…The study conducted by Béres, Czeglédi and Babusa (2017) shows that even a single aerobic session has a positive effect on the body image in Hungarian women.…”