Exercise Values of Life and Vitality Everyday

Despite the importance of adoption and maintenance of habitual moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) for health benefits and long-term weight management, current comprehensive lifestyle interventions place little emphasis on physical activity behavior change strategies and have only modest impact on MVPA. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a well validated, newer generation behavioral approach uses values of clarification and commitment strategies, along with acceptance-based skills training, to effect health behavior change that is consistent with personally identified values. ACT presents a theoretically consistent and potentially powerful intervention framework from which to target values-based autonomous motivation and increase MVPA. The overall aim of this study is to test the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an ACT-based workshop intervention for increasing bout-related MVPA for overweight and obese, insufficiently active adults using a single-arm design. We will recruit 48 overweight/obese, insufficiently active adults across multiple cohorts and provide them with a 4-hour, ACT-based workshop followed by weekly emails and monthly phone calls for 3 months. The primary goal of the workshop is to use values clarification and acceptance-based skills training to increase values-based autonomous motivation and bout-related MVPA. Participants will self-monitor and report on progress via weekly emails and monthly phone calls. Assessments will be at baseline, 3, and 6 months. The goal of this study is threefold: 1) to determine the feasibility and acceptability of the ACT workshop intervention by assessing the completion of the intervention at all time points and via questionnaires; 2) to show changes in autonomous motivation and values-consistent behavior at the end of the intervention; and 3) to show changes in physical activity, by use of an objectively measured physical activity devices, where participants are engaging in at least 200 minutes of MVPA at 3 and 6-months) This study will be conducted at the Miriam Hospital Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center by Drs. Jason Lillis and Dale Bond.