The Influence of Training Status on Mood

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Research has shown that regular exercise can favorably influence mood, but it is unclear if there is a threshold whereby too much exercise can negatively affect mood. Given the limited research in the area, we adopted the null hypothesis that there is no relation between training status and mood. PURPOSE: To survey the influence of training status on mood. METHODS: The present study conducted a cross-sectional survey of the undergraduate day-student population at Salem State University. Participants were primarily recruited by using email, social media, and word-of-mouth. Survey responses are anonymous, and no personal identifiers were collected. The target sample size to attain a 95% confidence interval is 358 students. The main tool that was used to measure mood was the validated Brunel Mood Scale. The Borg RPE scale is the main tool that was used to measure exercise intensity. These tools have been implemented into the survey using SurveyMonkey. RESULTS: Out of the eight subscales of the BRUMS, the strongest association between mood and exercise was related to VIGOUR, which has moderate positive associations with the number of exercise days and intensity of exercise, indicating that people who exercise more frequently, especially at higher intensities, tend to report higher levels of Vigour. CONCLUSION: Due to the limited number of responses, it has been concluded that more research needs to be done to validate any correlation data found in this study.