Walking is popular among adults but is it pleasant? A framework for clarifying the link between walking and affect as illustrated in two studies

Objectives: The popularity of walking is assumed to be due to this activity being pleasant. However, evidence of affective beneficence remains scarce. Instead, activities, including walking, that may not exceed certain thresholds of intensity and duration are presumed to lack sufficient potency to improve affect. In anticipation of investigations designed to explore the role of affect in mediating the walking-adherence relationship, we present and test a methodological platform for clarifying the walking-affect link. Design: Randomized experimental-vs-control group design (Study I) and randomized AB-vs-BA group design (Study II). Methods: Two studies are described to illustrate the utility of the proposed approach. Affect was conceptualized as a dimensional construct and assessed repeatedly during and after the walks. Results: Short, self-paced walks increase self-reported energy among active middle-aged and older adults. Conclusions: The proposed framework could be useful in investigations of the walkin-affect-adherence causal chain. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.