Understanding the impact of lifestyle activities on mood, cognition and brain processing.

About the study

This study aims to understand how guided relaxation and aerobic exercise alter mood, thinking and brain function.

What will it involve?

This is a study on the impact of lifestyle interventions on mood, thinking and the brain. If you join the study, you would be assigned to one of two activities at random. The two types of activities are: 1) guided relaxation involving breathing exercises, elements of meditation, balance and stretching; or 2) aerobic exercise involving moderate-to-vigorous physical activity such as jogging, cycling, weight lifting and floor exercises. You would attend three 45-minute sessions per week, for four weeks (total 12 sessions). Both activities will be guided by a personal trainer who will guide you through the activities and make adjustments based on your needs. The activity sessions will take place at a university gym. We ask you to make every effort to attend each session. Throughout this time you would be rating your mood twice a day using an app, wearing an activity watch (24/7), and completing some online games and questionnaires once a week.

Before you start the activity sessions we will invite you to meet us to discuss the study. This will give you a chance to ask any questions you have, and to make sure you are happy to join the study. If you choose to begin the study we then give you an activity watch to wear for a week. After one week we invite you back, take back the watch, ask you to undertake a fitness test, take your weight, height. We also download an app onto your phone, play some behavioural games, cognitive games, and ask you to answers some questionnaires. You are then ready to start the activity sessions. After the activity sessions we invite you back to repeat the fitness test and behavioural games and undergo an optional brain scan. Here you can ask any further questions, and give feedback.

The total duration of the participation in the study is around six weeks – one week prior to the activity sessions, four weeks during the activity sessions, and one week following the end of the activity sessions.