The Early Bird Gets the Worm! Congruency Between Intentions and Behavior is Highest When Plans to Exercise are Made for the Morning

Abstract

Minimizing the exercise intention–behavior gap remains an ongoing research pursuit. Based on a limited resource model of self‐regulation, we hypothesized the existence of a more prominent exercise intention–behavior gap later in the day. The current studies assessed exercise intention follow through over the course of a week (Study 1 = 115 working adults; Study 2 = 191 students). Both studies demonstrated a greater inconsistency between exercise intentions and actual exercise bouts in the evening compared to the morning. Specifically, the greatest number of intentions not carried through occurred for intentions made between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. These results provide preliminary evidence suggesting that exercise intentions set for the morning are more successful than those set for the evening, translating to practical advice when to schedule exercise bouts.