Abstract
Background: An important motivation for adolescents and young adults to engage in aerobic exercise (AE) is to improve fitness, body composition and physical appearance. These parameters have an impact on bodily perception as conceptualized by the ‘body image’ (BI) construct. AE is known to have positive effects on pain perception, mood, and body image (BI). However, no study has hitherto investigated their interrelationship within one study. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG, n = 16, 6 months of AE) or a passive control group (CG, n = 10). Frankfurt Body-Concept Scales (FKKS), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory, warmth and heat pain thresholds (WPT, HPT), pain tolerance, and graded exercise test data from baseline (T0) and the end of the intervention (T6) were analyzed using a paired t-test (p < 0.05). Results: A significant increase in the BI dimension ‘physical efficacy’ was identified from T0 to T6, which correlated positively with PANAS Positive Affect Scale and HPT. Conclusion: Data in young adults undergoing AE indicate that changes in the BI sub-category ‘physical efficacy’ are closely linked with changes in positive affect and antinociception. These novel findings suggest that BI plays a role in antinociception and positive affect.
Highlights
Aerobic exercise (AE), either voluntary [1] or prescribed [2], has multifaceted effects on physiological and psychological well-being throughout the life-span, i.e., from childhood [3] to older adults [4,5].An important motivation for adolescents and young adults to engage in aerobic exercise (AE) is to improve fitness, body composition and physical appearance [6,7], all of which are parameters that have an impact on bodily perception as conceptualized by the ‘body image’ (BI) construct
Discussion intervention group and CG = control group) together. This randomized six months AE-intervention in young healthy sedentary individuals sheds new light on the BI changes occurring in the context of long-term exercise and associated fitness adaptations: For the first time, we demonstrate AE-induced BI-changes and their link to well-established psychophysical phenomena seen after long-term exercise
The FKKS revealed a significant improvement in the IG in the dimension ‘physical efficacy’, supporting the role of BI changes induced by AE
Summary
Aerobic exercise (AE), either voluntary [1] or prescribed [2], has multifaceted effects on physiological and psychological well-being throughout the life-span, i.e., from childhood [3] to older adults [4,5].An important motivation for adolescents and young adults to engage in aerobic exercise (AE) is to improve fitness, body composition and physical appearance [6,7], all of which are parameters that have an impact on bodily perception as conceptualized by the ‘body image’ (BI) construct. The BI definition covers perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and attitudes an individual has towards the own body [8,9]. An important motivation for adolescents and young adults to engage in aerobic exercise (AE) is to improve fitness, body composition and physical appearance. These parameters have an impact on bodily perception as conceptualized by the ‘body image’ (BI) construct.
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