Short bouts of exercise at self-selected intensity have been shown to improve indices of metabolic health. Self-selected intensity is associated with a more positive affective response and adherence to exercise. Therefore, the affective response to short bouts of exercise at self-selected intensity has important implications for exercise adherence. PURPOSE: To examine the effects of 1-minute (1 M) and 5-minute (5 M) bouts of exercise at self-selected intensity on affective valence. METHODS: Thirty healthy male (n = 18) and female (n = 12) participants completed a VO2max test at baseline and two randomized exercise trials consisting of either a 1 M or 5 M bout of combined arm and leg cycling at a self-selected pace. Heart rate (HR) and pulmonary gas exchange data were collected during exercise. The Feeling Scale was used to measure acute affective valence (pleasure/displeasure) before, during, and following each bout of exercise using the following verbal anchors: -5 = very bad; -3 = bad; -1 = fairly bad; 0 = neutral; +1 fairly good; +3 = good; and + 5 = very good. Paired-samples t-tests were used to determine whether there were significant mean differences between bouts for HR, average VO2, % VO2max, and affect. RESULTS: Affective valence was positive before each exercise session for both the 1 M (M = 2.13 ± 1.96) and 5 M bout of exercise (M = 2.07 ± 2.32). The 5 M bout elicited a significant increase in HR (t(29) = 3.163, p = .004, d = 19.9), average VO2 (t(29) = 4.314, p < .001, d = 4.36), and % VO2max (t(29) = 4.461, p < .001, d = 10.3) compared to the 1 M bout. There were no significant differences in means (p < .05) for affect before, during, or after the 1 M bout compared to the 5 M bout. CONCLUSION: Physiological markers of exercise intensity were significantly higher in the 5 M bout compared to the 1 M bout. However, there were no significant differences in the affective response to exercise between the bouts. Additionally, mean affect remained positive during and after exercise, regardless of bout duration. These findings suggest self-selected exercise intensity may be more important than bout duration for managing the affective response to exercise. Further research is needed to examine the effects of various durations of exercise at imposed versus self-selected intensity on the affective response to exercise.

Regular exercise is important for overall health, yet exercise participation in the United States remains low. Exercise promotion depends on identifying factors, such as personality, that might influence exercise participation. Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is a personality trait described as the tendency to deeply process environmental stimuli. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between SPS, exercise behavior, and exercise preferences. Participants (N = 320) were college students and employees who completed the 12-Item Highly Sensitive Person Scale, Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire, and three questions regarding preferences for exercise intensity, situation, and setting. Participants with higher SPS were more likely to be insufficiently active/sedentary and were less likely to prefer vigorous-intensity exercise. Exercise preferences are an important consideration for exercise adoption and adherence; thus, these findings have practical implications for exercise promotion.