The positive emotional change that is associated with physical activity can be leveraged for adherence-support purposes in your members. One use of emotional change involves prescribing exercise amounts and types that promote positive after-session feelings (e.g., arevived, energetic state) over negative feelings (e.g., worn-out, tired feelings).6 While it is true that your most resilient exercisers will require a certain level of fatigue and exhaustion to feel successful, forthe 70 percentof people who areat-risk for early dropout,starting out slowly can bring pleasant after-exercise feelings that arelinked to long-term maintenance.
The second emotional change involves the more stable positive changes in mood that are virtually assured within a couple of months of regular exercise (at virtually any intensity and duration). While exercise scientists debate the basis for this emotional improvement (hypotheses have ranged from endorphin, serotonin and norepinephrine changes, to simply an increased sense of mastery and removal from the day’s worries that go along with exercise), its effects are undeniable, and have been confirmed through hundreds of studies.14
Fitness professionals can usethe feelings associated with individual bouts of exercise, and the cumulative emotion-changing effects of exercise over time, to improve individuals’ exercise longevity. While certainly different from typical, physiologically driven methods, using emotional change as motivation can pay off throughreductions in exerciser dropout. Following is a brief outline of each method.
Immediate exercise-induced feelings.This type of emotionalchange involves having clients focus on “pairing” a prescribed exercise session with pleasant, rejuvenated feelings. An appropriate prescription (for adherence) will reduce, rather than increase, fatigue (that was present before exercise began), and help to promote a sense of elation. Before designing an exercise program for clients using emotional response methods, make sure that they are suitable candidates for this approach (most times they are). It will be helpful to discover people’s aversionsto physical stress and discomfort;their ability to be persistent with other important tasks; and their ability to accept progress in sequential stages. Research finds that the70 percent of new and returning exercisers whoare at-risk for early dropout can benefit from this method.3
The second step when prescribing an emotional-based exercise program involves developing a plan around a participant’s likes and dislikes. This alone can promote adherence.18 If racquetball or aquatics is favored over cardiovascular machines, find a way to fit it into a formal prescription. Tie together a variety of different exercise modalities using a consistent rate of perceived exertion (RPE) value.7 That way, when an intensity that fits is found, it can be generalized across exercise types.
The third step for this type ofmethod evaluates how elements of the exercise prescription serve to alter the participant’s feeling states.
Observe how the scores have changed. Positive engagement, revitalization and tranquility should raise after completion of exercise, and physical exhaustion should decline. A deviation from this pattern should be a concern to you, and a revision (usually a reduction in intensity and/or duration) is advised.
The fourth stepgives participants the knowledge to similarly monitor any changes they makein their program. If regular follow-ups are part of your facility’s system, you and your staff may remain in control of EFI assessments.