"Feeling Good" After Exercise During a Weight Loss Program: Subjective Well-Being in Support of a Hedonic Paradigm.

A large portion of the U.S. population desires to lose weight, but only a small portion maintains a desirable body weight. We examined weight loss success and the psychological benefits of exercise among men and women who were obese and initially sedentary (N = 33). These participants completed anthropometric assessments and psychological inventories before and after graded exercise tests (GXTs) at the beginning and end of their enrollment in a 6-month behavioral weight loss program (BWLP). Participants significantly decreased their body weight, body mass index (BMI), and % body fat; they also increased their aerobic capacity and exercise time. They reported long-term increases in their stage of change, self-efficacy, exercise enjoyment and processes of change. They also reported immediate changes toward more positive affect, as measured with pre-to post-GXTs on both the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and State Anxiety Subscale (A-State) at the beginning and again at end of the BWLP. Mood benefits were reported on the POMS subscales of Tension, Depression, Anger, Vigor, and Confusion. At the end of the BWLP, Fatigue and Confusion continued to improve after a 20-min post-GXT recovery period. Finally, reductions in Depression and Fatigue after the first GXT were correlated with program success, as indicated by decreases in BMI, percent body fat, and body weight. Initial scores on trait enjoyment were associated with decreased BMI and body weight. Psychological benefits of exercise may help individuals who are obese and sedentary change their behavior and exercise perceptions from something they "should do" to something they "want to do." Feeling good during weight loss efforts is an important pathway to change and should be an explicit component goal of BWLPs.

Effectiveness of Yoga versus Exercise for Reducing Falling Risk in Older Adults: Physical and Psychological Indices.

Our purpose in this study was to examine the effectiveness of yoga to address multiple risk factors of falling in active and low active older adults. Community-dwelling older adults (N = 35) over the age of 65 actively participated in either a yoga program, an exercise program, or a no-program control. Participants completed measures associated with falling risks. Physical measures included lower body strength, static balance, and lower body flexibility. Psychological measures included perceived self-efficacy with respect to falls and health-related quality of life. We determined between-group differences using planned comparisons, effect size, confidence intervals, and probability of superiority. Results of planned comparisons and practical significance testing indicated that yoga participants scored higher than the exercise and control participants on both right and left lower body flexibility tests. Yoga participants also scored higher than the control participants on right leg static balance, and the right and left lower body flexibility tests. The exercise participants scored higher than yoga participants on the RAND-36 Quality of Life subscales of Energy/Fatigue, Pain, and General Health. The probability of superiority results indicated that the no-program older adult participants would benefit by enrolling in the yoga rather than the exercise program to reduce physical risks of falling. These findings were discussed in relation to promoting physical activity programs to reduce risks of falling, and the roles of the protocol, practical significance, and measures employed when determining program effectiveness.