Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The use of a mental imagery intervention to enhance integrated regulation for exercise among women commencing an exercise program

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Motivation and Emotion Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a mental imagery intervention designed to enhance integrated regulation for exercise among women commencing an exercise program. Healthy women who previously did not exercise regularly (N = 102; M age  = 29.54, SD = 8.34) participated in an 8-week cardiovascular exercise program in which they exercised 3 times each week at a moderate intensity. The intervention group (n = 51) received weekly guided imagery sessions which were administered in person via audio recording. A comparison group (i.e., attention control; n = 51) received health information delivered in the same manner. Despite substantial dropout of participants from both groups, the analysis revealed that participants in the imagery group experienced greater changes in integration than participants in the comparison group. These findings support the utility of imagery interventions for influencing exercise-related cognitions, and more specifically integrated regulation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Although it is seemingly contradictory that appearance imagery is related to both autonomous and controlling motives, and that regular exercisers report using a great deal of appearance related- imagery, explanations for these findings can be forwarded. For example, individuals could exercise because they want to maintain some appearance related goals (e.g., a specific weight) and imagine these goals. They could also wish to maintain their physical self-worth and this might be partially accomplished through the use of appearance imagery.

  2. The exercise program that participants in the current study were asked to complete was somewhat discrepant from typical exercise guidelines (e.g., Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines 2011). The decision to diverge from these guidelines was made for practical reasons. Asking the participants to visit the study facility more than three times per week could have represented a scheduling barrier (in our previous research even having participants visit the study facility three times per week proved challenging for many of them), and providing greater access to the study facility would have required considerably more resources (e.g., a larger number of research assistants) than were available.

References

  • American College of Sports Medicine. (2000). ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription (6th ed.). Baltimore, MD: Williams and Wilkins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blair, S. N., LaMonte, M. J., & Nichaman, M. Z. (2004). The evolution of physical activity recommendations: How much is enough? American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 79, 913S–920S.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cumming, J. (2008). Investigating the relationship between exercise imagery, leisure-time exercise behavior, and self-efficacy. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 20, 184–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cumming, J., & Hall, C. (2002). Deliberate imagery practice: The development of imagery skills in competitive athletes. Journal of Sports Sciences, 20, 137–145.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Daley, A. J., Crank, H., Saxton, J. M., Mutrie, N., Coleman, R., & Roalfe, A. (2007). Randomized trial of exercise therapy in women treated for breast cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 25, 1713–1721.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Daley, A. J., & Duda, J. L. (2006). Self-determination, stage of readiness to change for exercise, and frequency of physical activity in young people. European Journal of Sport Science, 6, 231–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York, NY: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Facilitating optimal motivation and psychological well-being across life’s domains. Canadian Psychology, 49, 14–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dishman, R. K. (1982). Compliance/adherence in health-related exercise. Health Psychology, 1, 237–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, L. R., Hall, C. R., Rodgers, W. M., & Wilson, P. M. (2009). Examining the changes in motivation for females enrolled in a 6-week cardiovascular exercise program [abstract]. Society of Behavioral Medicine, 37, s224.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, L. R., Hall, C. R., Wilson, P. M., & Jenny, O. (2010). Exercise motivation: A cross-sectional analysis examining its relationships with frequency, intensity, and duration of exercise. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 7, 7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, L. R., Rodgers, W. M., Hall, C. R., & Wilson, P. M. (2011). The use of imagery interventions to enhance three types of self-efficacy for exercise. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 3, 107–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edmunds, J., Ntoumanis, N., & Duda, J. L. (2008). Testing a self-determination theory-based teaching style intervention in the exercise domain. European Journal of Social Psychology, 38, 375–388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frederick, C. M., & Ryan, R. M. (1993). Differences in motivation for sport and exercise and their relationships with participation and mental health. Journal of Sport Behavior, 16, 125–145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gammage, K. L., Hall, C. R., & Rodgers, W. M. (2000). More about exercise imagery. The Sport Psychologist, 14, 348–359.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giacobbi, P. R., Jr., Hausenblas, H. A., Fallon, E. A., & Hall, C. A. (2003). Even more about exercise imagery: A grounded theory of exercise imagery. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 15, 160–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giacobbi, P. R., Jr., Hausenblas, H. A., & Penfield, R. D. (2005). Further refinements in the measurement of exercise imagery: The exercise imagery inventory. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 9, 251–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, A. M. (2008). Does intrinsic motivation fuel the prosocial fire? Motivational synergy in predicting persistence, performance, and productivity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93, 48–58.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, C. R. (1995). The motivational function of mental imagery for participation in sport and exercise. In J. Annett, B. Cripps, & H. Steinberg (Eds.), Exercise addiction: Motivation for participation in sport and exercise (pp. 15–21). Leicester, UK: British Psychological Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, C. R., Rodgers, W. M., Wilson, P. M., & Norman, P. (2010). Imagery use and self-determined motivations in a community sample of exercisers and non-exercisers. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 40, 135–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hausenblas, H. A., Hall, C. R., Rodgers, W. M., & Munroe, K. J. (1999). Exercise imagery: Its nature and measurement. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 11, 171–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, F. (1999). The exercise motivation scale: It’s multifaceted structure and construct validity. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 11, 97–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mallet, C. J., & Hanrahan, S. J. (2004). Elite athletes: Why does the ‘fire’ burn so brightly? Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 5, 183–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markland, D., & Tobin, V. (2004). A modification of the behavioral regulation in exercise questionnaire to include an assessment of amotivation. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 26, 191–196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morris, T., Spittle, M., & Watt, A. P. (2005). Imagery in sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mullan, E., & Markland, D. (1997). Variations in self-determination across the stages of change for exercise in adults. Motivation & Emotion, 21, 349–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mullan, E., Markland, D., & Ingledew, D. K. (1997). A graded conceptualisation of self-determination in the regulation of exercise behavior: Development of a measure using confirmatory factor analytic procedures. Personality and Individual Differences, 23, 745–752.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pelletier, L. G., Dion, S. C., Slovinec-D’Angelo, M., & Reid, R. (2004). Why do you regulate what you eat? Relationships between forms of regulation, eating behaviors, sustained dietary behavior change, and psychological adjustment. Motivation and Emotion, 28, 248–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pelletier, L. G., Fortier, M. S., Vallerand, R. J., Tuson, K. M., Brière, N. M., & Blais, M. R. (1995). Toward a new measure of intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation in sports: The sport motivation scale (SMS). Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 17, 35–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodgers, W. M., Hall, C. R., Duncan, L. R., Pearson, E. S., & Milne, M. I. (2010). Becoming a regular exerciser: Examining change in behavioral regulations among exercise initiates. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 11, 378–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodgers, W. M., Munroe, K. J., & Hall, C. R. (2001). Relations among exercise imagery, self-efficacy, exercise behavior, and intentions. Imagination, Cognition, and Personality, 21, 55–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68–78.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sheldon, K. M., Ryan, R. M., Rawsthorne, L., & Ilardi, B. (1997). Trait self and true self: Cross-role variation in the big five traits and its relations with authenticity and subjective well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 1380–1393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Short, S. E., Hall, C. R., Engel, S. R., & Nigg, C. R. (2004). Exercise imagery and the stages of change. Journal of Mental Imagery, 28, 61–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stanley, D. M., & Cumming, J. (2010). Not just how one feels, but what one images? The effects of imagery use on affective responses to moderate exercise. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 8, 343–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vallerand, R. J., Blais, M. R., Briere, N. M., & Pelletier, L. G. (1989). Construction et validation de l’Echelle de motivation en education (EME) [construction and validation of the Echelle de motivation education (EME)]. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 21, 323–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vallerand, R. J., Pelletier, L. G., Blais, M. R., Brière, N. M., Senécal, C., & Vallières, E. F. (1992). The academic motivation scale: A measure of intrinsic, extrinsic, and amotivation in education. Education and Psychological Measurement, 52, 1003–1017.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wesch, N. N., Milne, M. I., Burke, S. M., & Hall, C. R. (2006). Self-efficacy and imagery use in older adult exercisers. European Journal of Sport Science, 6, 197–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, P. M., Rodgers, W. M., & Fraser, S. N. (2002). Examining the psychometric properties of the behavioral regulation in exercise questionnaire. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 6, 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, P. M., Rodgers, W. M., Fraser, S. N., & Murray, T. C. (2004). Relationships between exercise regulations and motivational consequences in university students. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 75, 81–91.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, P. M., Rodgers, W. M., Hall, C. R., & Gammage, K. L. (2003). Do autonomous exercise regulations underpin different types of exercise imagery? Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 15, 294–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, P. M., Rodgers, W. M., Loitz, C. C., & Scime, G. (2006). “It’s Who I Am.Really!” The importance of integrated regulation in exercise contexts. Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research, 11, 79–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Lindsay R. Duncan

    Present address: Department of Psychology, Yale University, 2 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven, CT, 06520-8205, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Kinesiology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Lindsay R. Duncan & Craig R. Hall

  2. Department of Physical Education and Kinesiology, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada

    Philip M. Wilson

  3. Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Wendy M. Rodgers

Authors
  1. Lindsay R. Duncan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Craig R. Hall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Philip M. Wilson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Wendy M. Rodgers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lindsay R. Duncan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Duncan, L.R., Hall, C.R., Wilson, P.M. et al. The use of a mental imagery intervention to enhance integrated regulation for exercise among women commencing an exercise program. Motiv Emot 36, 452–464 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-011-9271-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-011-9271-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation