Do exercisers maximize their pleasure by default? Using prompts to enhance the affective experience of exercise

Researchers and practitioners are increasingly recognizing the importance of maximizing pleasure during exercise in order to promote exercise behavior. Self-selected intensity exercise can increase pleasure during exercise, but it is not yet known whether participants maximize pleasure during self-selected intensity exercise by default. We hypothesized that prompting participants to maximize pleasure and enjoyment would result in more positive affective valence during (H1) and after (H2) exercise, greater remembered pleasure following exercise (H3), and greater enjoyment of exercise (H4). In this within-subjects experiment, 39 inactive adults completed two 10-min stationary cycling sessions at a self-selected intensity. During the experimental condition, participants were reminded (five times during the 10-min session) to maximize pleasure and enjoyment, and that they could change the intensity if they wanted. Affective valence, heart rate, and ratings of perceived exertion were measured every two minutes during exercise. Affective valence, enjoyment, and remembered pleasure were measured after each exercise session. The control condition was identical, except no prompts were provided. Each hypothesis was supported (p < .05). Prompting participants to maximize their pleasure and enjoyment resulted in increased pleasure as the exercise session progressed. After receiving prompts, participants also reported more positive post-exercise affective valence and rated the session as more pleasant and enjoyable. These results suggest that participants do not maximize pleasure and enjoyment by default (i.e., in the absence of reminders to do so). Researchers can build on these results to determine the mechanisms and whether prompting exercisers to maximize pleasure and enjoyment can promote exercise behavior.