Both MBSR and Aerobic Exercise Training can Affect Physical Activity Behavior in Sedentary Individuals

Abstract

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and aerobic exercise training (AET) have emerged as robust programs to improve health and wellbeing. Physical activity may be enhanced to a similar degree by MBSR and AET, although their relative effects on physical activity have not been objectively assessed. PURPOSE: To compare the effects of 8-weeks of MBSR and AET on objectively measured physical activity. METHODS: Participants underwent 7-days of physical activity monitoring (Actigraph GT3X) at baseline prior to randomization, and again following completion of 8-weeks of training in MBSR or AET, or neither (no-treatment control group). Actigraph-based average daily minutes of sedentary, light, moderate, vigorous and moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) activities were calculated. Weekly time spent in MVPA lasting longer than 10 minutes (MVPABouts) was calculated to assess physical activity engagement sufficient to meet national recommendations. Groups were compared via pairwise comparisons of changes in MVPA and MVPABouts from pre-randomization (August) to post-intervention (November). RESULTS: Sufficient data for analysis (≥3 week and ≥1 weekend day, >10 hours/day) were obtained from 49 participants (18 MBSR, 14 AET, 17 control) out of 66 who enrolled. Reflecting a seasonal decline (Aug to Nov), daily MVPA decreased in all groups: control by 17.9 ± 25.7 min/day, MBSR by 5.7 ± 7.5 min/day, and AET by 7.4 ± 14.3 min/day, without statistically significant differences among the groups (all p > 0.05). MVPABouts decreased 77.3 ± 106.6 min/week in the control and 15.5 ± 37.0 min/week in the MBSR group, with a nonsignificant difference favoring MBSR (p = 0.080); AET increased MVPABouts by 5.7 ± 64.1 min/week, significantly different from control (p = 0.029) but not MBSR (p = 0.564). CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study showed that while exercise training leads to more minutes of MVPA sufficient to meet physical activity guidelines compared to a no-treatment control, MBSR training may mitigate seasonal decline with similar effects to exercise training on daily MVPA and MVPA in 10+ min bouts. As these findings indicate that MBSR training has beneficial effects on MVPA, future research is needed to determine if MBSR improves wellbeing through changes in physical activity.