Intrinsic Motivation To Exercise Research Articles

A Text Messaging Intervention for Priming the Affective Rewards of Exercise in Adults: Protocol for a Microrandomized Trial.

Physical activity is a critical target for health interventions, but effective interventions remain elusive. A growing body of work suggests that interventions targeting affective attitudes toward physical activity may be more effective for sustaining activity long term than those that rely on cognitive constructs alone, such as goal setting and self-monitoring. Anticipated affective response in particular is a promising target for intervention. We will evaluate the efficacy of an SMS text messaging intervention that manipulates anticipated affective response to exercise to promote physical activity. We hypothesize that reminding users of a positive postexercise affective state before their planned exercise sessions will increase their calories burned during this exercise session. We will deploy 2 forms of affective SMS text messages to explore the design space: low-reflection messages written by participants for themselves and high-reflection prompts that require users to reflect and respond. We will also explore the effect of the intervention on affective attitudes toward exercise. A total of 120 individuals will be enrolled in a 9-week microrandomized trial testing affective messages that remind users about feeling good after exercise (40% probability), control reminders (30% probability), or no message (30% probability). Two types of affective SMS text messages will be deployed: one requiring a response and the other in a read-only format. Participants will write the read-only messages themselves to ensure that the messages accurately reflect the participants' anticipated postexercise affective state. Affective attitudes toward exercise and intrinsic motivation for exercise will be measured at the beginning and end of the study. The weighted and centered least squares method will be used to analyze the effect of delivering the intervention versus not on calories burned over 4 hours around the time of the planned activity, measured by the Apple Watch. Secondary analyses will include the effect of the intervention on step count and active minutes, as well as an investigation of the effects of the intervention on affective attitudes toward exercise and intrinsic motivation for exercise. Participants will be interviewed to gain qualitative insights into intervention impact and acceptability. Enrollment began in May 2023, with 57 participants enrolled at the end of July 2023. We anticipate enrolling 120 participants. This study will provide early evidence about the effect of a repeated manipulation of anticipated affective response to exercise. The use of 2 different types of messages will yield insight into optimal design strategies for improving affective attitudes toward exercise. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05582369; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05582369. PRR1-10.2196/46560.

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations as moderators of the association between exercise frequency and exercise behavior.

Motivations underlying exercise may contribute to the extent to which exercise is maladaptive, independent of exercise frequency. Extrinsic and intrinsic exercise motivation may independently moderate associations between exercise frequency and 1) compulsive and 2) healthy exercise. It was expected that among individuals with high extrinsic motivation, greater exercise frequency would be associated with more compulsive exercise, whereas among individuals with high intrinsic motivation, greater exercise frequency would be associated with more healthy exercise. A total of 446 university students (50.9% female; 67.0% White) completed measures of intrinsic and extrinsic exercise motivations, exercise frequency, compulsive exercise, and healthy exercise. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for exercise were entered as simultaneous independent moderators of the associations between exercise frequency and 1) compulsive exercise and 2) healthy exercise in multiple linear regressions. Moderation effects of exercise motivation were not supported for compulsive exercise. Only main effects of frequency (b = 0.04, p < 0.01) and extrinsic motivation (b = 0.27, p < 0.01) were observed. Intrinsic motivation moderated the association between frequency and healthy exercise (b = -0.02, p = 0.03). Among individuals with lower intrinsic motivation, greater frequency was related to more healthy exercise. This association was significantly weaker among individuals with high intrinsic motivation. Consistent with theory and extant work, extrinsic motivation was associated with compulsive exercise, while intrinsic motivation was associated with healthy exercise. Clinically, assessing the extent to which exercise is intrinsically or extrinsically motivated may help identify whether individuals may be more likely to engage in compulsive versus healthy exercise. Results support the importance of exploring the exercise motivations as predictors of compulsive and healthy exercise. Level V, Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study.

Intuitive Eating and Biomarkers Related to Cardiovascular Disease in Older Adults

ObjectiveExamine whether exercise and diet motivation are associated with 4 biomarkers related to cardiovascular disease. DesignCross-sectional analysis. Data collection involved questionnaires, blood draws, body composition assessments, and accelerometry. SettingSmall, midwestern college town. ParticipantsCommunity older adults (≥ 58 years of age; n = 79) recruited through convenience sampling; the sample was representative of the population of interest for some demographic characteristics (eg, age and sex) but not representative of other characteristics (eg, level of activity). Variables MeasuredIndependent variables comprised self-reported intrinsic exercise motivation (Behavioral Regulation for Exercise Questionnaire-3) and intuitive eating (Intuitive Eating Scale-2). Dependent variables included inflammatory proteins (C-reactive protein and interleukin-6) and lipid levels (low-density lipoprotein/high-density lipoprotein and triglycerides) quantified from blood samples. Covariates included age, body mass index, sex, and objective physical activity measured by accelerometers worn for 7 days. AnalysisMultiple linear regression was used to assess the association between diet and exercise motivation and biomarker outcomes; we analyzed 4 regression models (1 for each biomarker). Significance level P < 0.05. ResultsGreater intuitive eating was associated with a lower low-density lipoprotein/high-density lipoprotein ratio (β = −0.45, P = 0.001) and lower triglycerides (β = −0.37, P = 0.003). Intrinsic exercise motivation was not associated with the biomarkers. Conclusions and ImplicationsIntuitive eating may be a key determinant of certain biomarkers and could be a viable target for interventions to help decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease among older adults.

Effectiveness of a Mobile Wellness Program for Nurses with Rotating Shifts during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Cluster-Randomized Trial.

Nurses with rotating shifts, including night shifts, have suffered from low physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic and lower sleep quality due to the disruption of their circadian rhythm. This study aimed to develop and examine the effectiveness of a mobile wellness program on daily steps, sleep quality, exercise self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation for exercise, self-rated fatigue, and wellness. A cluster randomized controlled trial design was used to examine the effectiveness of the mobile wellness program for nurses with rotating shifts. Sixty nurses from one university hospital participated and were allocated to an intervention group and a control group. The intervention group received a 12-week mobile wellness program to improve their physical activity and sleep quality, and the control group was only given a Fitbit to self-monitor their health behaviors. There were significant differences between the two groups in daily steps (p = 0.000), three components (subjective sleep quality, sleep disturbance, daytime dysfunction) of the PSQI, exercise self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation for exercise, and wellness. In conclusion, this study provides meaningful information that the mobile wellness program using Fitbit, online exercise using Zoom, online health coaching on a Korean mobile platform, and motivational text messages effectively promoted physical activity and sleep quality for nurses with rotating shifts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Intrinsic motivation in exercise: A concept analysis.

To explore the concept of intrinsic motivation in exercise as it pertains to nursing. Exercise is an integral part of treating and preventing chronic diseases, and yet the vast majority of adults do not adequately meet endorsed exercise recommendations. Evaluating motivation for exercise assists in the effort to promote sustained exercise participation. Intrinsic motivation speaks to the innate drive for an action or behavior. Intrinsic motivation has previously been evaluated in various disciplines including nursing, education, exercise science, medicine, and psychology. The combination of intrinsic motivation and exercise can be applied in the nursing discipline to evaluate, predict, and impact behavior change. Concept analysis using Walker and Avant (2019) methodology. PubMed, CINAHL, and PsychINFO. Articles from the years 2011 to 2020 were included. Literature from multiple disciplines was synthesized to explore the concept of intrinsic motivation in the context of exercise. Characteristics of intrinsic motivation, their attributes, antecedents, and consequences were identified. The concept analysis represents a consensus of the identified literature providing a concise description of intrinsic motivation with exercise. Four vital attributes were identified in the literature and became the basis of the concept analysis; self-efficacy, competence, self-determination, and satisfaction. This concept analysis provides a foundation from which to create nursing interventions aimed at fostering intrinsic motivation for exercise. Expansion of our knowledge of intrinsic motivation, in the context of exercise, has the potential to enhance approaches used by nurses and nurse providers to affect healthy behavior changes.

Is receipt of body-related comments associated with exercise motivation: a case study based on self-determination theory

ABSTRACT Giving body-related comments is common and viewed as a sign of showing care in China. However, it is unclear whether receiving body-related comments is associated with body-related exercise motivation and a potential barrier to lifelong exercise behaviour. Guided by self-determination theory, this study explored the relationship between receiving body-related comments from parents, significant others (if any), and peers and exercise motivation among 236 female Chinese undergraduate students at a comprehensive university in Southwest China, using an online survey. Frequency, sources, and type of body-related comments were measured, as well as body-related exercise motivation, physical activity participation, and demographic factors. The frequency of receiving body-related comments from parents, friends, and romantic others were all negatively related to exercise motivation to gain weight/muscle but positively related to exercise motivation to lose weight/fat. Regression analyses showed that the type of body-comments received was associated with body-related exercise motivation, controlling for body mass index (BMI) and level of physical activity participation. The impact of the comments from friends was more profound than that from parents and romantic others. The evidence suggests receiving body-related comments is associated with higher body-related exercise motivation, regardless of BMI and physical activity participation. Receiving body-related comments seems to adversely impact intrinsic exercise motivation among study participants. School educators and health promotion professionals should recognise the impact of giving body-related comments, and engage parents, peers, and the community in relevant educational programmes.

The ergogenic impact of the glucocorticoid prednisolone does not translate into increased running motivation in mice

Glucocorticoids, such as prednisolone, are considered sport doping agents owing to their ergogenic properties. These are accounted for by peripheral mechanisms associated with energetic and anti-inflammatory processes. However, because glucocorticoids target brain tissues, it is likely that these ergogenic impacts are associated with central effects. One of these might be reward motivation, which relies on glucocorticoid receptor-expressing mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic neurons. In keeping with this possibility, this study has explored in mice whether repeated prednisolone administration (5 or 15 μg/ml of drinking water for 10 days) affected intrinsic motivation for running, a strong reinforcer in rodents. Running motivation was assessed by means of a cued-reward motivated instrumental task wherein wheel-running was conditioned by prior nose poke responses under fixed (FR), and then progressive (PR), ratio reinforcement schedules. Sub-chronic ingestion of prednisolone decreased the running distance covered during each rewarded sequence under FR schedules. This finding did not extend to wheel-running performances in mice provided free (i.e. unconditioned) wheel-running opportunities. Running motivation, as estimated under a PR reinforcement schedule, was found to be decreased (lowest concentration) or to remain unaffected (highest concentration) by prednisolone concentration. Lastly, an inter-individual analysis of the respective effects of prednisolone on muscular endurance (as assessed in the wire grid-hanging test) and on running motivation indicated that the former was not predictive of the latter. This observation suggests that prednisolone ergogenic impacts might occur without any concomitant increase in intrinsic exercise motivation.

Further Validation of the Leisure Time Physical Activity Instrument in People with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

The study purpose was to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of the Leisure Time Physical Activity Instrument (LTPAI). This cross-sectional study included 211 adults with chronic pain from U.S. clinics and community networks. Data were collected on the LTPAI and other similar and distinct self-report measures and assessed using multivariate analysis of variance and bivariate correlations. Physical activity levels were higher in action and maintenance stages for physical activity behavior readiness compared to earlier stages of change. Physical activity was also associated with intrinsic motivation for exercise, self-efficacy for exercise, and exercise outcome expectancy. Light-to-moderate physical activity was higher for normal weight groups compared to overweight groups. These results extend the evidence for the validity of the LTPAI. Given the health benefits of incorporating leisure-time physical activity into daily life, it is important to test the applicability of adapted physical activity measurements among persons most in need of physical activity assessments and interventions.

Gender Perspective on Older People's Exercise Preferences and Motivators in the Context of Falls Prevention: A Qualitative Study.

Background Several factors have previously been identified to positively influence the uptake and adherence for fall prevention exercise programmes. There is, however, a lack of studies investigating if men and women differ in their views and preferences for fall prevention exercises. Aim To explore exercise preferences and motivators of older community-dwelling women and men in the context of falls prevention from a gender perspective. Methods Workshops including multistage focus group discussions were conducted with 18 older community-dwelling people with and without history of falls. Participants were purposively selected and divided into two groups. Each group met on six occasions over a period of five months. Participatory and Appreciative Action and Reflection methodology was used to guide the discussions. A qualitative content analysis approach was used in the analysis. Results Older participants had many diverse preferences and confirmed that individually tailored exercise, in terms of mode, intensity, challenge, and social context, is important. Moreover, important factors for exercise adherence and maintenance included the experience of individual confirmation; different spirit lifters to increase enjoyment; and personal tricks to maintain exercise routines. The individual differences within genders were more diverse than the differences between women and men. Conclusion Exercise interventions to prevent falls should be individually tailored, based on the specific needs and preferences of the older participant, and do not appear to require gender specific approaches. To increase adherence, intrinsic motivation for exercise may be encouraged by competence enhancing confirmations, energizing spirit lifters, and practical tips for exercise maintenance. The study provides an awareness about women's and men's preferences for fall prevention exercises, and this information could be used as guidance in designing inclusive exercise interventions.

Mindfulness and Intrinsic Exercise Motivation—The Mediating Role of Exercise Self-Efficacy

Mindfulness and Intrinsic Exercise Motivation—The Mediating Role of Exercise Self-Efficacy

The Minne-Loppet Motivation Study: An Intervention to Increase Motivation for Outdoor Winter Physical Activity in Ethnically and Racially Diverse Elementary Schools.

To test the effectiveness of an intervention to increase motivation for physical activity in racially diverse third- through fifth-grade students. Natural experiment. Elementary schools in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Two hundred ninety-one students in 18 Minne-Loppet Ski Program classes and 210 students in 12 control classrooms from the same schools. The Minne-Loppet Ski Program, an 8-week curriculum in elementary schools that teaches healthy physical activity behaviors through cross-country skiing. Pretest and posttest surveys measured self-determination theory outcomes: intrinsic exercise motivation, intrinsic ski motivation, autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Hierarchical linear regression models tested treatment effects controlled for grade, race, sex, and baseline measures of the outcomes. Minne-Loppet program students showed significantly greater motivation to ski (β = 0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.15-1.75) and significantly greater perceived competence (β = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.06-1.50) than students in control classrooms. Treatment effects for general exercise motivation and perceived competence differed by race. African American students in Minne-Loppet classes showed significantly greater general exercise motivation (β = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.03-2.14) and perceived competence (β = 1.95, 95% CI: 0.91-2.99) than African American students in control classes. The Minne-Loppet program promoted perceived competence and motivation to ski. Future improvements to the Minne-Loppet and similar interventions should aim to build general motivation and provide support needed to better engage all participants.

What’s in a name? Group fitness class names and women’s reasons for exercising

ABSTRACTThe benefits of intrinsic exercise motivation are well recognized, yet extrinsically focused group-fitness class names/descriptions dominate the fitness industry. To explore the impact of how fitness classes are marketed, women (N = 389) were asked to indicate their preference for either intrinsically or extrinsically focused fitness classes based on title/description. Participants who favored intrinsic class names/descriptions were more likely to report greater interest/enjoyment, perceived competence, and greater effort and report exercising for health/fitness-related reasons. Those favoring extrinsic class names/descriptions were more likely to experience tension/pressure when exercising and report exercising for appearance/weight-related reasons. The results demonstrate the importance of wording when marketing fitness classes.

Effectiveness of a smartphone app in increasing physical activity amongst male adults: a randomised controlled trial.

BackgroundSmartphones are ideal for promoting physical activity in those with little intrinsic motivation for exercise. This study tested three hypotheses: H1 – receipt of social feedback generates higher step-counts than receipt of no feedback; H2 – receipt of social feedback generates higher step-counts than only receiving feedback on one’s own walking; H3 – receipt of feedback on one’s own walking generates higher step-counts than no feedback (H3).MethodsA parallel group randomised controlled trial measured the impact of feedback on steps-counts. Healthy male participants (n = 165) aged 18–40 were given phones pre-installed with an app that recorded steps continuously, without the need for user activation. Participants carried these with them as their main phones for a two-week run-in and six-week trial. Randomisation was to three groups: no feedback (control); personal feedback on step-counts; group feedback comparing step-counts against those taken by others in their group. The primary outcome measure, steps per day, was assessed using longitudinal multilevel regression analysis. Control variables included attitude to physical activity and perceived barriers to physical activity.ResultsFifty-five participants were allocated to each group; 152 completed the study and were included in the analysis: n = 49, no feedback; n = 53, individual feedback; n = 50, individual and social feedback. The study provided support for H1 and H3 but not H2. Receipt of either form of feedback explained 7.7 % of between-subject variability in step-count (F = 6.626, p < 0.0005). Compared to the control, the expected step-count for the individual feedback group was 60 % higher (effect on log step-count = 0.474, 95 % CI = 0.166–0.782) and that for the social feedback group, 69 % higher (effect on log step-count = 0.526, 95 % CI = 0.212–0.840). The difference between the two feedback groups (individual vs social feedback) was not statistically significant.ConclusionsAlways-on smartphone apps that provide step-counts can increase physical activity in young to early-middle-aged men but the provision of social feedback has no apparent incremental impact. This approach may be particularly suitable for inactive people with low levels of physical activity; it should now be tested with this population.

Family Health Climate and Adolescents' Physical Activity and Healthy Eating: A Cross-Sectional Study with Mother-Father-Adolescent Triads.

IntroductionThe importance of the family environment for children’s and adolescents’ health behavior has been demonstrated, the underlying mechanisms of this influence remain unclear. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between family environmental and individual determinants. It was hypothesized that the Family Health Climate (FHC) is associated with adolescents’ physical activity and dietary behavior and that intrinsic motivation mediates this association.MethodsCross-sectional data were collected from 198 families (mother, father, and child) using questionnaires. Perceptions of FHC of mothers, fathers, and their children were assessed using the FHC-scales for physical activity (FHC-PA) and nutrition (FHC-NU). The adolescents also rated their intrinsic motivation for exercise and healthy eating, their physical activity and consumption of healthful food. A structural equation model was analyzed and a bootstrapping procedure was used to test direct and indirect effects.ResultsThe FHC-PA was related to the amount of weekly physical activity and the FHC-NU to the consumption of fruit, vegetables and salad. These effects were mediated by adolescents’ intrinsic motivation; the indirect effects were significant for both behaviors.DiscussionThese results emphasize the importance of the FHC in shaping adolescents’ physical activity and dietary behavior. Individual motivational factors are potential mediators of family and parental influences. Considering family-level variables and their interaction with individual factors contributes to the understanding of adolescents’ health behavior.

The effects of competition and competitiveness upon intrinsic motivation in exergames

This study examined the role of competition in exercise video games to promote intrinsic motivation for exercise. The experiment was a 2 (Competitive exercise context: Competition vs. No competition)×2 (Individual competitiveness: High vs. Low) between-subjects design. The results showed significant interaction effects of the independent variables on intrinsic motivation, mood, and evaluation of the exergame. That is, the competitive context provided positive exergame experiences to competitive individuals, whereas it had detrimental effects for less competitive participants. Implications and future directions are discussed.

The effect of variety expectations on interest, enjoyment, and locus of causality in exercise

Most attempts to influence intrinsic motivation have focused on contextual support for basic need satisfaction, including the provision of autonomy support, structure, and interpersonal involvement (e.g., Edmunds et al. in Eur J Soc Psychol 38:375–388, 2008). This study explored the extent to which another factor, expectations for task variety, influenced interest, enjoyment, and locus of causality in a novel exercise setting. Results showed that participants exposed to messages about variety in an exercise class enjoyed the class more, found it more interesting, and perceived greater internal causality than those who received messages about similarity in the class. Moderator analyses indicated that expectations of task variety were particularly conducive for task interest among participants who usually demonstrated lower intrinsic motivation for exercise. Discussion focuses on the relevance of these findings to self-determination theory and on opportunities for future research.

Decomposing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for exercise: Application to stages of motivational readiness

Objectives Two studies were conducted to evaluate the reliability and predictive validity of measures of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for exercise, and to examine differences in motivation as a function of stage of motivational readiness for exercise. Design A cross-sectional design was employed in study one, and a longitudinal design was used in study two. Methods In study one, 184 healthy college students completed instruments to measure motivation and exercise stage. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations were factor analyzed into subscales and validated in study two on a second sample of college students ( n=220) by analyzing shifts in endorsement of motivation subscales from the beginning to end of the academic term. Results In both samples, intrinsic motivation for exercise was most highly endorsed in maintenance and lowest in contemplation stage. All extrinsic motivation subscales except tangible rewards were also most highly endorsed in maintenance compared to other stages. In study two, students in activity classes ( n=72) endorsed both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation more than those in lecture classes ( n=70). Relative to patterns of physical activity, intrinsic motivation was greater than extrinsic motivation for the continually active group, and decreased for the continually inactive group. Exercise maintenance was fostered by greater intrinsic relative to extrinsic motivation. Conclusion Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation can be decomposed into meaningful subfactors that are differentially related to exercise adoption and maintenance.

Self-Determination Moderates the Effects of Perceived Competence on Intrinsic Motivation in an Exercise Setting

According to Deci and Ryan’s (1985) self-determination theory, perceptions of self-determination moderate the effects of perceived competence on intrinsic motivation, with perceived competence only positively influencing intrinsic motivation under conditions of some self-determination. Vallerand’s (1997) hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation suggests that self-determination and competence have only independent effects on intrinsic motivation. The aim of this study was to test these competing models. Women aerobics participants (n = 146) completed measures of self-determination, perceived competence, and intrinsic motivation for exercise. Moderated hierarchical regression revealed a significant interactive effect of self-determination and perceived competence. A plot of the regression of intrinsic motivation on perceived competence under conditions of high and low self-determination, however, showed that the interaction did not take the expected form. Variations in perceived competence positively influenced intrinsic motivation only under conditions of low self-determination. This suggests that it is particularly important to foster perceptions of competence among individuals low in self-determination.

Self‐Efficacy, Perceptions of Success, and Intrinsic Motivation for Exercise1

A number of investigators have attempted to identify the determinants of continued participation in exercise regimens. Within a social cognitive framework, the present study examined the relationships among self‐efficacy cognitions, perceptions of success, and multidimensional intrinsic motivation in the exercise domain. Multivariate analyses of variance indicated that highly efficacious individuals were more intrinsically motivated toward aerobic dance than were their less efficacious counterparts. However, multiple regression analyses revealed both perceptions of success and self‐efficacy to account for significant variance in intrinsic motivation at both the composite and dimensional levels. Moreover, perceptions of success were considerably stronger predictors than were efficacy cognitions. The results are discussed in terms of the need for multiple measures of perceived success, the employment of longitudinal designs to determine the direction of causality among these variables, and possible implications for adherence issues.