Background
National guidelines call for exercise of at least moderate intensity; however, recommending self-paced exercise may lead to better adherence, particularly among overweight and obese adults.
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to test proof-of-concept for recommending self-paced exercise among overweight adults.
Methods
Fifty-nine healthy, low-active (exercise <60 min/week), overweight (body mass index 25.0–39.9) adults (18–65) received a 6-month print-based exercise promotion program with the goal of walking 30–60 min/day. Participants were surreptitiously randomly assigned to receive a recommendation for either self-paced ( n = 30) or moderate (64–76 % maximum heart rate; n = 29) intensity exercise. All participants used electronic diaries and heart rate monitors to track exercise frequency, duration, and intensity.
Results
The self-paced condition reported more minutes/week of walking ( f 2 = 0.17, p = 0.045) and a trend toward greater exercise-related energy expenditure/week ( f 2 = 0.12, p = 0.243), corresponding to approximately 26 additional minutes/week and 83 additional kilocalories/week over 6 months.
Conclusions
Explicit recommendation for self-paced exercise may improve adherence to exercise programs among overweight and obese adults.