The Effect of a Brief-Mindfulness Intervention on Psychophysiological Exertion and Flow-State Among Sedentary Adults

Meggs, Jenny and Chen, Mark (2021) The Effect of a Brief-Mindfulness Intervention on Psychophysiological Exertion and Flow-State Among Sedentary Adults. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 128 (3). pp. 1078-1090. ISSN 0031-5125

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Abstract

Mindfulness-acceptance commitment interventions in sport and exercise contexts have been shown to increase positive psycho-physiological state among competitive athletes and recreational exercise participants. In the current study, we sought to extend research in this area by identifying the effect of a brief-mindfulness intervention on psychophysiological functioning among sedentary young healthy adults. Our mixed gender sample (n = 48) of inactive individuals performed a brief cycling task without training (control condition) followed by task completion with brief mindfulness training (15-minute audio engagement with mindfulness techniques and specific present moment 'anchors'). We found that participants self-reported more accurate ratings of perceived exertion (i.e., self-ratings better matched actual physiological indices of exertion) suggesting that mindfulness techniques can increase bodily awareness which may be useful in helping sedentary participants appreciate physiological changes associated with exercise. The mindfulness manipulation also increased participants’ absorption into the activity, suggesting that participants were more attentive to the exercise task and less distracted by irrelevant external and internal cues. Generally, these findings suggest that mindfulness may be a complementary psychological training tool for inactive, sedentary young adults who are re-engaging with exercise. We provide recommendations for future research.