Abstract
Low-carbohydrate diets (LCs) seem effective on weight reduction and maintenance. However, the affect and enjoyment of exercise during LCs is not clear. The purpose of the present study was to compare the psychological responses to high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and to moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) during the consumption of a 4-week LC diet in overweight young women. With LCs (~10% carbohydrate, 65%–70% fat, 20%–25% protein), forty-three eligible women (age: 20.9 ± 3.1 years; body weight: 65.8 ± 8.2 kg) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: HIIT (10 sets of 6 s all-out cycling interspersed with 9 s of rest), MICT (30 min cycling at 50%–60% of peak oxygen consumption, V̇O2peak) or no-exercise controls (CON). Anthropometric indices and V̇O2peak were measured pre- and post-training. Feeling Scale (FS), Felt Arousal Scale (FAS), Exercise Enjoyment Scale (EES), and Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) scores were collected before and immediately after each training session throughout the study. After intervention, all three groups reduced by more than 2.5 kg of body weight whereas both exercise groups improved ~15% V̇O2peak. Participants in the HIIT and MICT group exhibited similar affect points as indicated by FS and FAS. Post-exercise enjoyment scores in PACES were lower in HIIT (73–78 points) than MICT (83–87 points) despite similarly positive responses being observed in EES (corresponding to ~4 points of a 7-point scale). Short-term LCs were effective in weight loss and exercise training had an additive improvement on cardiorespiratory fitness. The overweight young women had similar affect valence, arousal levels, and comparable pleasurable feelings to HIIT and MICT with LCs. Furthermore, as indicated by PACES, MICT was more enjoyable which may elicit better adherence, whereas HIIT with LCs seems to be more arduous despite its time-efficiency.
Highlights
Being overweight or obese is associated with a low level of life quality [1] and a high incidence rate of various diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidemia and cancer [2,3], which have become severe public issues in numerous countries [4]
There were no significant differences in anthropometric variables among the three groups (Table 1)
The present study provides initial evidence of the potential impacts of low-carbohydrate diets (LCs) on psychological reactions to two exercise regimens
Summary
Being overweight or obese is associated with a low level of life quality [1] and a high incidence rate of various diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidemia and cancer [2,3], which have become severe public issues in numerous countries [4]. In addition to a change of diet, previous studies have illustrated benefits of being physically active among overweight and obese individuals [7,8]. Regular exercise is frequently applied as an addition to diets to facilitate weight loss and improve health. Moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) is a traditional recommendation for improving health in overweight and obese populations [9], yet it requires dedication to an extended amount of time and effort for exercise. Given that perceived lack of time is one of the major barriers for individuals to engage in exercise programs, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been advocated as an alternative to MICT, since it is much more time-efficient and has been shown to induce similar health-enhancing adaptations as MICT [10,11]
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