Study finds a way to trick the mind so even the lazy can become fitness freaks

A new study has investigated whether adding mindfulness training to a physical activity program can encourage university students to maintain healthier exercise habits. The research, conducted across three sites in England, examined how a 30-day digital mindfulness intervention affected students who were previously inactive.

Physical inactivity is common among university students and can contribute to poor mental health and wellbeing. While physical activity (PA) programs can help, many struggle to keep up long-term behavior changes. Researchers wanted to see if mindfulness training—designed to build psychological skills and PA-related thinking—could make a difference.

The study involved 109 participants who were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group received an activity monitor and a daily step goal of 8,000 steps (PA-only group). The second group followed the same step target but also received digital mindfulness training for 30 days (MPA group). The researchers tracked their self-reported physical activity levels, sedentary time, wellbeing, mental health, motivation, enjoyment, and self-efficacy before and after the intervention.

Results showed that physical activity levels doubled, and students spent less time being sedentary. However, the MPA group—who had mindfulness training—showed greater but not statistically significant improvements compared to the PA-only group. The increase in PA was measured at 305 MET-minutes per week, while sedentary time dropped by 9.5 hours per week.

Psychological outcomes varied. While both groups became more mindful during exercise, the MPA group felt stronger intentions to stay active compared to the PA-only group. However, exercise self-efficacy remained unchanged, meaning participants' confidence in their ability to exercise regularly did not improve.

Lead researchers concluded that adding mindfulness training helped students become more motivated to stay active but did not lead to major differences in actual physical activity levels or time spent sitting. They recommend further studies to explore whether mindfulness-driven thinking can lead to lasting behavioral changes in physical activity over longer periods.

The findings highlight the potential for digital mindfulness interventions in health programs. However, researchers stress that more investigation is needed to determine how best to encourage long-term engagement in physical activity among university students.

Source: ScienceDirect

This article was generated with some help from AI and reviewed by an editor.

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