Exploring Determinants of Exercise-Related Affect in Older Adults who Regularly Engage in Aerobic Exercise

Older adults (55+ years) are a growing percentage of the United States population. Older adults are at an increased risk of developing age-related non-communicable diseases that may decrease their quality of life and increase the burden placed on the economy. Although many known health benefits are associated with regular participation in aerobic exercise, poor long-term adherence remains a concern. Because feelings of pleasure/displeasure during exercise have been cited as contributors to future intentions and behaviors, researchers have begun exploring determinants of affective responses during exercise. However, research has primarily been conducted in university students, sedentary adults, and high-active adults. Understanding determinants of exercise-related affect in older adults represents an important research question that has yet to be addressed. The purpose of this study is to explore and understand determinants of recalled in-task affect to a regularly performed aerobic bout in older adult exercisers. METHODS: Individuals participated in two Zoom sessions, each lasting approximately 30-minutes. A semi-structured interview guide to explore determinants of exercise-related affect from a regularly completed aerobic exercise session was used. Themes and subthemes were constructed using Braun and Clark’s thematic analysis guide. RESULTS: Sixteen active older adults (11 women, 5 men, 61.4 ± 4.7 years) provided data in this study. Five themes emerged regarding determinants of recalled in-task affect. The first and second themes (‘Environmental and External Conditions’ and ‘Social Context’) were mentioned by most participants (87.5%). Three additional themes emerged: ‘Pre-Exercise States’, ‘Process Barriers and Facilitators’, and ‘Performance’. DISCUSSION: Results supported novel findings regarding the environment and social context of exercise. Interoceptive cues were not cited, which could be due to the location of exercise (naturalistic vs. laboratory-based), more people exercising outside because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sample being more in-tune with environmental conditions, or the chosen exercise intensity. The results from this study also provided support for pre-exercise states and performance as determinants of exercise-related affect. Future research should explore determinants of exercise-related affect after the pandemic and in a naturalistic setting to determine if the environment and social context of exercise continue to emerge as important contributors to subjective exercise experiences.