Affective responses of physically active and sedentary individuals during and after moderate aerobic exercise.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the effects of aerobic fitness and exercise history on self-reported affect during and after acute aerobic exercise and quite reading. METHODS: Active and sedentary participants (N = 41) reported their psychological affect during two separate conditions in a counterbalanced design: (1) exercise on a cycle ergometer at 50% predicted VO2 max, and (2) quiet reading in a reclining chair. Affect was assessed prior to, every 3 minutes during, and at 5 and 20 minutes after each 24-minute exercise and reading period. RESULTS: Analysis revealed that active participants were significantly more positive than the sedentary group during exercise and at 5 minutes postexercise. The groups were similar in affect at 20 minutes postexercise. No between-group differences were found during the reading condition. Exercise enhanced affect compared to reading only for the active group. In addition, the affective responses of both groups were influenced by pre-exercise affect, with the greatest increases observed for those reporting the lowest affect before activity. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that affective responses during and after aerobic exercise were influenced by exercise history and aerobic fitness, but moderated by pre-activity scores.