Motivation states to move, be physically active and sedentary vary like circadian rhythms and are associated with affect and arousal

Abstract

IntroductionMotivation to be physically active and sedentary is a transient state that varies in response to previous behavior. It is not known: (a) if motivational states vary from morning to evening, (b) if they are related to feeling states (arousal/hedonic tone), and (c) whether they predict current behavior and intentions. The primary purpose of this study was to determine if motivation states vary across the day and in what pattern. Thirty adults from the United States were recruited from Amazon MTurk.MethodsParticipants completed 6 identical online surveys each day for 8 days beginning after waking and every 2–3 h thereafter until bedtime. Participants completed: (a) the CRAVE scale (Right now version) to measure motivation states for Move and Rest, (b) Feeling Scale, (c) Felt Arousal Scale, and (d) surveys about current movement behavior (e.g., currently sitting, standing, laying down) and intentions for exercise and sleep. Of these, 21 participants (mean age 37.7 y; 52.4% female) had complete and valid data.ResultsVisual inspection of data determined that: a) motivation states varied widely across the day, and b) most participants had a single wave cycle each day. Hierarchical linear modelling revealed that there were significant linear and quadratic time trends for both Move and Rest. Move peaked near 1500 h when Rest was at its nadir. Cosinor analysis determined that the functional waveform was circadian for Move for 81% of participants and 62% for Rest. Pleasure/displeasure and arousal independently predicted motivation states (all p's < .001), but arousal had an association twice as large. Eating, exercise and sleep behaviors, especially those over 2 h before assessment, predicted current motivation states. Move-motivation predicted current body position (e.g., laying down, sitting, walking) and intentions for exercise and sleep more consistently than rest, with the strongest prediction of behaviors planned for the next 30 min.DiscussionWhile these data must be replicated with a larger sample, results suggest that motivation states to be active or sedentary have a circadian waveform for most people and influence future behavioral intentions. These novel results highlight the need to rethink the traditional approaches typically utilized to increase physical activity levels.

Minimalist Training: Is Lower Dosage or Intensity Resistance Training Effective to Improve Physical Fitness? A Narrative Review

“…Hence, there is little or no reward of a runner’s or exercise “high” (e.g., drug-induced euphoria) to provide exercise enjoyment and motivation to continue. Diurnal rhythms play a role in the motivation to exercise with the majority of people more motivated to move in the afternoon (≥ 15:00) [ 36 ]. Hence, for individuals with lower motivation for exercise, a morning training program would be even more problematic.…”

The CRAVE and ARGE scales for motivation states for physical activity and sedentarism: Brazilian Portuguese translation and single-item versions

“…The concepts of affect, emotion, and motivation intersect within the theory of affectively-charged motivation states (ACMS; Kavanagh et al, 2005 ) as it applies to movement and sedentarism ( Stults-Kolehmainen et al, 2020 ; Budnick et al, 2023 ). In short, humans possess transient desires (or wants) to move and be active, and sometimes these are felt subjectively as tension, such as a “pressing readiness” ( Stults-Kolehmainen et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Typically, these have been studied in clinical populations, such as those with exercise addiction, anorexia nervosa, or with conditions, such as akathisia or Restless Legs Syndrome ( Khan et al, 2017 ; Stults-Kolehmainen et al, 2022 ). However, there is recent evidence that these are common in healthy populations ( Stults-Kolehmainen et al, 2023 ), very similar to a biorhythm ( Budnick et al, 2023 ; Crosley-Lyons et al, 2023 ), and may be stimulated endogenously (e.g., a drive; Stults-Kolehmainen, 2023 ) or by an environmental stimulus, such as music ( Janata et al, 2012 , 2018 ). Motivation states are influenced by recently completed activity behaviors ( Stults-Kolehmainen et al, 2021a ) and current activities (e.g., sitting, standing, walking; Budnick et al, 2023 ).…”

“…However, there is recent evidence that these are common in healthy populations ( Stults-Kolehmainen et al, 2023 ), very similar to a biorhythm ( Budnick et al, 2023 ; Crosley-Lyons et al, 2023 ), and may be stimulated endogenously (e.g., a drive; Stults-Kolehmainen, 2023 ) or by an environmental stimulus, such as music ( Janata et al, 2012 , 2018 ). Motivation states are influenced by recently completed activity behaviors ( Stults-Kolehmainen et al, 2021a ) and current activities (e.g., sitting, standing, walking; Budnick et al, 2023 ). Moreover, motivation states predict intentions to be active in the next 30 min in a free-living setting ( Budnick et al, 2023 ) as well as affective responses during subsequent physical activity ( Do et al, 2022 ).…”

The State Urge to be Physically Active‐Questionnaire (SUPA‐Q): Development and validation of a state measure of activity urges in patients with eating disorders

“…tionnaire in further clinical and non-clinical samples. Additionally, activity urges vary by time of day in non-clinical populations(Budnick et al, 2023), which reinforces the need to explore and compare the magnitude and fluctuation of SUPA-Q scores in future investigations with clinical and non-clinical populations. Our scale requires further validation in patients with EDs against other recently established measures not included in the present study (i.e., the CRAVE scale;Stults-Kolehmainen et al, 2021).…”