The Effect of Self-Selected Exercise Workloads on Perceived Enjoyment and Self-Efficacy in Sedentary Adults

Abstract

Self-selected workloads are shown to be more enjoyable than researcher-selected workloads. In addition, it is unclear if sedentary adults find aerobic interval or continuous exercise more pleasant. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to determine the effects of two acute bouts (interval vs. continuous) of self-selected moderate-intensity treadmill exercises on perceived enjoyment and self-efficacy towards exercise in a sedentary cohort. Methods: Sixteen sedentary adults completed two 30 min bouts of moderate-intensity treadmill activity, one interval and one continuous. Participants blindly (could not see speed, grade, and heart rate) selected their own treadmill workload with guidance from the Borg RPE 6–20 scale. Post-exercise self-efficacy and perceived enjoyment were assessed using the Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale and the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale, respectively. Exercise workloads using treadmill speed and grade and exercise heart rate were compared between trials. Results: No significant differences were found between conditions for self-selected workloads (p = 0.62), self-efficacy (p = 0.58), perceived enjoyment (p = 0.41), and heart rate (p = 0.12). Discussion: Sedentary individuals reported no difference in self-efficacy or perceived exercise enjoyment. Participants were, however, adequate in self-selecting their own intensities with RPE guidance as there were no differences in the workloads across conditions. These results suggest that when able to self-select moderate-intensity exercise workloads, sedentary individuals equally enjoy both interval and continuous exercise.

Walking Intensity Preference of Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease

“…There were no significant differences in exercise intensity markers such as HR and RPE between the two sessions. This finding aligns with previous studies that reported similar results for self-selected and imposed exercise intensities in other populations 9,10. Furthermore, the majority of patients maintained an HR >50% of their estimated maximal HR during both sessions, consistent with a prior study11 of PAD patients with claudication symptoms who exercised at the pain threshold and demonstrated HR ranging from 60-82% of maximal HR during the exercise session.…”

Physical activity and mental health in individuals with multimorbidity during COVID-19: an explanatory sequential mixed-method study

“…There is evidence that shows that engaging in PA that is enjoyable, improves health and well-being, and provides continual novel stimulus, will improve engagement and adherence over time. [51][52][53] In this sense, our findings have clearly showed that PA is essential to manage LTCs and maintaining the mental health in an enjoyable way. Therefore, once again our findings demonstrated that 'one-size-fits-all' is not working and more individualised PA guidelines according to the person and each LTC are needed.…”

Keep Moving to Retain the Healthy Self: The Influence of Physical Exercise in Health Anxiety among Chinese Menopausal Women

“…Especially beneficial is participation in group activities, such as square dancing, Tai chi, football, basketball, volleyball, and other activities [45]. Central to these activities is the communication process between people [46], making people feel free and relaxed and able to quickly form positive emotions [47,48].…”