3.7.2: Visual Exercise Environments and Treadmill Running

Jogging and walking are examples of physical activities often undertaken by individuals who wish to increase their cardiovascular health. These activities can normally be done in many outdoor locations, but because of weather and safety issues individuals often opt to exercise inside using a stationary treadmill instead. Many individuals using a treadmill do so while watching television, streaming programs, or listening to music. Some research has shown that the type of visual and auditory stimulus used by these individuals can influence their performance during their exercise session. For example, research shows that listening to loud or fast music can encourage treadmill runners to run faster and longer (Bharani et al. 2004; Tennenbaum et al. 2004; Edworthy and Waring 2006). The environment that physical activity takes place in can also influence well-being. Immersion in the natural environment has been associated with lowered blood pressure, reduced perceived exertion, improved mood, and general enjoyment of the activity, even when viewed using static images (Duncan et al. 2014; Pretty et al. 2005, 2007; Akers et al. 2012; Wooler et al. 2015; Focht 2009; Plante et al. 2007; Jones et al. 2014).

One such study concerns the use of images or video of natural environments. Several theories have been proposed to explain why exposure to natural environments can enhance emotions. For example, it has been proposed that natural environments have a restorative effect on the ability of the brain to focus. Other theories suggest that we have an automatic unconscious response to nature (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989; Bratman et al. 2012; Johnson 1994). Of particular interest is the potential difference between a static environment, one for which the visual stimulus is constant and not changing, and a dynamic environment where the visual stimulus is constantly changing (Yeh et al. 2017).

The study was based on thirty individuals, 12 of whom were female and 18 of whom were male, who were recruited and gave informed consent to participate in the study. Twenty-four of the recruited individuals regularly exercised at least 150 minutes per week, while the remaining participants exercised irregularly or participated in light exercise routines. The research protocol using these human subjects was approved by the ethics committee at the university where the research was performed (Yeh et al. 2017).

The research team designed two visual nature images, one static and one dynamic. The dynamic image was based on a video filmed from the point of view of a cyclist proceeding through the paths of a local botanical garden. The static image consisted of one of the frames of the video. A third environment consisted of the personal preference of the participant, which included watching television or movies or viewing a static image. A treadmill was placed in this environment and the distance and duration of the exercise session was intentionally shielded from the participant.

Each participant exercised on the treadmill under each of the three conditions at a speed set by the individual. Participants were told to run at a comfortable speed. There was a seven-day gap between the test for each condition to avoid possible effects from previous sessions. Each session lasted twenty minutes. The heart rate was monitored for each participant along with the distance covered. Additionally, the Sport Emotion Questionnaire was used to measure the emotions of each participant five minutes before and immediately after each observed run. The Sport Emotion Questionnaire is a standard questionnaire used to measure happiness, anxiety, dejection, anger, and excitement and has been used effectively in other studies (Jones et al. 2005; Arnold and Fletcher 2014).

The results from the study showed that self-selected entertainment was associated with higher running distances when compared to the static image during the exercise period. There was no detectable difference in running distances between the dynamic image and the self-selected entertainment. Higher heart rates were achieved with self-selected entertainment than either of the dynamic or static images. Additionally, there was some indication that participants felt happier when using the static and dynamic images instead of the self-selected entertainment, while the remaining measures of anxiety, dejection, anger, and excitement were similar for all three groups.

This study is based on a designed experiment in that the researchers decided what stimuli that individuals would be subjected to, as well as the other conditions of the experiment. This study is a little different in that each participant was observed in each of the three groups. This is not uncommon for studies involving human subjects where there is usually a large amount of variation between the physical and mental attributes of the subjects. If the subjects were simply divided into three groups, then any observed differences between the groups would be confounded with any possible differences between the subjects themselves. Because each subject was observed with each treatment, the same group of subjects was observed, so differences between the groups are more likely due to the different treatments.