The Effects of Cognitive Strategy and Exercise Setting on Running

The cognitive strategies of association and dissociation have been identified and studied in runners and other athletes. Association is said to involve thoughts that are task-oriented and may include a focus on pace, strategy, or physiological sensations. Conversely, dissociation involves task-irrelevant thoughts and may include thinking about such things as relationships, work, spiritual matters, or scenery. To date, studies have been largely descriptive, methodologically flawed, failed to use manipulation checks, and/or present unclear or differing conclusions. The emphasis with previous association and dissociation research has also been with elite and/or endurance athletes, such as marathon runners. Additionally, only a few studies have included more than one exercise setting, and these investigations seemed to indirectly suggest that the exercise environment may influence the use of cognitive strategies, performance, and perceived exertion. In an effort to clarify the effects of cognitive strategies and exercise setting on several dependent variables, the current study investigated a sample of experienced recreational runners in a 3 x 2 mixed experimental design. Exercise setting had three levels (treadmill, indoor track, and outdoor route) and was a within-groups independent variable and cognitive strategy had two levels (association vs. dissociation) as a between-groups factor. The dependent variables were the ratings of perceived exertion, course satisfaction, and performance time for a 5 km run. The results indicated strong effects for the influence of exercise setting. The treadmill setting was rated as least satisfying, while resulting in the highest perceived exertion and slowest performance time. Alternately, the outdoor route resulted in the highest level of course satisfaction, while also yielding the lowest level of perceived exertion. For the dissociation strategy, the outdoor setting garnered the lowest perceived exertion, followed by the indoor track and treadmill, respectively, while with the associative strategy perceived exertion did not significantly differ among the settings. There were no overall differences in perceived exertion or course satisfaction between the cognitive strategies; however, there was a medium effect size and trend for the association group to run faster. The implications and limitations of these data are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided

Effects of Home Exercise on Immediate and Delayed Affect and Mood Among Rural Individuals at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

Physical activity is important for reducing overweight and obesity and related health consequences. This study examined changes in mood following 16 weeks of exercise in a sample of 29 individuals residing in a rural area and at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Significant positive mood changes were detected, with moderate to large effect sizes. Assessments also revealed significant delayed postexercise positive emotion changes. These findings extend research on the mood benefits of exercise to individuals residing in rural settings and at risk for T2DM and suggest that to gain a full understanding of the exercise-affect relation, investigators need to assess affect at delayed intervals following exercise

Go!: results from a quasi-experimental obesity prevention trial with hospital employees

Abstract Background Worksite obesity prevention interventions using an ecological approach may hold promise for reducing typical weight gain. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Go!, an innovative 12-month multi-component worksite obesity prevention intervention. Methods A quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design was utilized; 407 eligible hospital employees (intervention arm) and 93 eligible clinic employees (comparison arm) participated. The intervention involved pedometer distribution, labeling of all foods in the worksite cafeteria and vending machines (with calories, step equivalent, and a traffic light based on energy density signaling recommended portion), persuasive messaging throughout the hospital, and the integration of influential employees to reinforce healthy social norms. Changes in weight, BMI, waist circumference, physical activity, and dietary behavior after 6 months and 1 year were primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes included knowledge, perceptions of employer commitment to employee health, availability of information about diet, exercise, and weight loss, perceptions of coworker support and frequency of health discussions with coworkers. A process evaluation was conducted as part of the study. Results Repeated measures ANCOVA indicated that neither group showed significant increases in weight, BMI, or waist circumference over 12 months. The intervention group showed a modest increase in physical activity in the form of walking, but decreases in fruit and vegetable servings and fiber intake. They also reported significant increases in knowledge, information, perceptions of employer commitment, and health discussions with peers. Employees expressed positive attitudes towards all components of the Go! intervention. Conclusions This low-intensity intervention was well-received by employees but had little effect on their weight over the course of 12 months. Such results are consistent with other worksite obesity prevention studies using ecological approaches. Implementing low-impact physical activity (e.g., walking, stair use) may be more readily incorporated into the worksite setting than more challenging behaviors of altering dietary habits and increasing more vigorous forms of physical activity. Trial Registration This study was registered with clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT01585480 ) on April 24, 2012