Habit plans made exercise feel a bit more automatic
- Helped
In 10 studies, help to plan, track and get reminders made exercise feel more automatic than for the rest.
Pooled analysis of 10 studies with 2,349 people · vs a mix of other groups · they rated themselves · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited
The review
Who took part
The review pooled 10 studies of programmes to build an exercise habit, with 2,349 people.
What they did
People got help to build an exercise habit. This was things like planning when and where to exercise, reminders and keeping track. They got it face to face, online, by phone or in a booklet. The other groups got a mix of different things.
What happened
People who got the habit help said exercise felt a little more automatic than people in the other groups did. The studies' results varied quite a lot. Most studies had a low risk of bias. There were no signs that unhelpful results went unpublished. The authors did not rate how sure they were.
Source
Effects of habit formation interventions on physical activity habit strength: meta-analysis and meta-regression (2023)
DOI: 10.1186/s12966-023-01493-3 (opens in a new tab)
