Implementing Meta-Session Autoregulation Strategies for Exercise - A Scoping Review

Meta-session autoregulation, a person-adaptive form of exercise prescription that adjusts training variables according to daily fluctuations in performance considering an individual's daily fitness, fatigue, and readiness-to-exercise is commonly used in sports-related training and may be beneficial for non-athlete populations to promote exercise adherence. To guide refinement of meta-session autoregulation, it is crucial to examine the existing literature and synthesize how these procedures have been practically implemented. Following PRIMSA guidelines a scoping review of two databases was conducted from August 2021 to September 2021 to identify and summarize the selected measures of readiness-to-exercise and decision-making processes used to match workload to participants in meta-session autoregulatory strategies, while also evaluating the methodological quality of existing study designs using a validated checklist. Eleven studies reported utilizing a form of meta-session autoregulation for exercise. Primary findings include: (i) readiness-to-exercise measures have been divided into either objective or subjective measures, (ii) measures of subjective readiness measures lacked evidence of validity, and (iii) fidelity to autoregulatory strategies was not reported. Results of the risk of bias assessment indicated that 45% of the studies had a poor-quality score. Existing implementations of meta-session autoregulation are not directly translatable for use in health promotion and disease prevention settings. Considerable refinement research is required to optimize this person-adaptive strategy prior to estimating effects related to exercise adherence and/or health and fitness outcomes. Based on the methodological deficits uncovered, researchers implementing autoregulation strategies would benefit reviewing existing models and frameworks created to guide behavioral intervention development.

Contextualizing Flexible Nonlinear Periodization as a Person-Adaptive Behavioral Model for Exercise Maintenance

There is a growing focus on developing person-adaptive strategies to support sustained exercise behavior, necessitating conceptual models to guide future research and applications. This paper introduces Flexible nonlinear periodization (FNLP) - a proposed, but underdeveloped person-adaptive model originating in sport-specific conditioning - that, pending empirical refinement and evaluation, may be applied in health promotion and disease prevention settings. To initiate such efforts, the procedures of FNLP (i.e., acutely and dynamically matching exercise demand to individual assessments of mental and physical readiness) are integrated with contemporary health behavior evidence and theory to propose a modified FNLP model and to show hypothesized pathways by which FNLP may support exercise adherence (e.g., flexible goal setting, management of affective responses, and provision of autonomy/variety-support). Considerations for future research are also provided to guide iterative, evidence-based efforts for further development, acceptability, implementation, and evaluation.

Applying P-Technique Factor Analysis to Explore Person-Specific Models of Readiness-to-Exercise

Recent research in exercise prescription and periodization has emphasized the importance of subjective experience, both in medium- and long-term monitoring, but also in the acute experience. Emerging evidence also highlights an important role of subjective readiness (pre-exercise mental and physical states) in determining how exercise is experienced, and in acutely modifying the prescribed exercise intensity. The concept of "readiness-to-exercise" shows promise in enabling and informing this acute decision-making to optimize the experiences and outcomes of exercise. While subjective experiences can be effectively assessed using psychometric scales and instruments, these are often developed and deployed using cross-sectional samples, with resulting structures that reflect a normative pattern (nomothetic). These patterns may fail to reflect individual differences in sensitivity, experience and saliency (idiographic). We conducted this research with the primary aim of comparing the nomothetical and idiographic approaches to modeling the relatively novel concept of readiness-to-exercise. Study 1 (nomothetic) therefore analyzed data collected from 572 participants who completed a one-time survey using R-technique factor analysis. Results indicated a four-factor structure that explained 60% of the variance: "health and fitness;" "fatigue;" "vitality" and "physical discomfort." Study 2 (idiographic) included a sample of 29 participants who completed the scale multiple times, between 42 and 56 times: permitting intra-individual analysis using separate P-technique factor analyses. Our analyses suggested that many individuals displayed personal signature, or "profiles" of readiness-to-exercise that differed in structure from the nomothetic form: only two participants' personal signatures contained four structures as modeled in Study 1, whereas the majority demonstrated either two or three factors. These findings raise important questions about how experiential data should be collected and modeled, for use in research (conceptual development and measurement) and applied practice (prescribing, monitoring)-as well as in more applied research (implementation, effectiveness).

Exploring determinants of recalled in-task affective valence during recreational exercise

Exercise-related affective responses, particularly in-task, have been implicated as influencing behavioral maintenance. An extensive body of literature, primarily using aerobic modes in laboratory settings, has identified a relatively consistent inverse relationship between intensity and affect. This relationship is purported to be partially accounted for by the saliency of interoceptive sensations (i.e., respiratory and heart rates, muscular effort), such that increased saliency elicits decreased affect. In naturalistic settings, exercise is volitional, individuals have comparatively more autonomy over exercise components (i.e., volume, duration, exercise intensity), and less is known regarding contributing factors of affective responses. Recalled affect may be perceived as a less invasive, more logistically feasible construct to measure in such settings. Thus, the purpose of the current study is to explore the basis of recalled affective valence following an acute bout of volitional exercise. Upon leaving the designated exercise area of a university recreation center, respondents (N = 236, 23y±10, 176cm±9.5, 76.9kg±16.2, 31.8% identified women, 68.2% identified men) were asked to complete a pen-and-paper survey regarding the bout they had just completed. Recalled affective valence was rated via 100 mm Visual Analog Scale, and respondents were asked to provide written explanation for the basis of recalled affective valence scores. Recalled affective valence scores were non-normally distributed (Mdn=81; IQR=30.5). Qualitative results indicate that interpretation of exertion and salient interoceptive sensations were mixed, resulting in both pleasant and unpleasant affective responses. Pre-exercise readiness factors (i.e., energy levels, substrate intake, and physical components) also contribute to recalled affective valence and could potentially explain variance in the interpretation of interoceptive sensations. Further research should expand on these findings through a more in-depth interview process and measuring factors of readiness before exercise.

Determining Perceptions to Electronically-Delivered, Personally-Adaptive, Multimedia Exercise Prompts for Middle-Age Adults

Due to high interaction rates, smart devices are being utilized for mobile health (mHealth) interventions. Multimedia capabilities may be leveraged to improve mHealth exercise interventions. Our purpose was to explore individuals' perceptions of multimedia exercise prompts tailored to their immediate mental/physical states. Using electronic surveys, respondents provided in-the-moment ratings of emotional state, energy, fatigue, physical discomfort, and thirst, with higher scores reflecting a higher "readiness to exercise" (i.e., if a person is currently in a pleasant mood with high energy and low discomfort, he/she is likely to have a greater capacity for a larger dose of exercise). They were then provided with an exercise prompt designed to match their readiness to exercise, demonstrated via text and graphic interchange format (GIF) showing a research member completing the recommended activity. Survey data regarding GIF quality, self-efficacy, and methodological feedback were then collected and analyzed using a combination of parametric statistics and thematic analysis of open-ended feedback. Respondents (N=204; 47±10 years; BMI 29±6 kg/m2) indicated GIFs loaded quickly (5.29±1.2, scale 0-6), were clear (5.36±1.1), and easily understandable (5.43±1.1). High task self-efficacy scores (9.34±1.62, scale 0-10) and statistically significant differences in coping self-efficacy (i.e., how well a person would be able to complete the recommended activity when feeling mentally/physically worse or better; F=3.229, p<.01) were found. Five themes relating to the exercise prompt were noted: improve attractiveness, limiting factors, exercise clarification, liked/understandable/doable, and disliked/unwilling to complete. Further refinement of these methods is warranted prior to using multimedia prompts to elicit actual exercise performance.