Action planning, or implementation intentions, (BélangerGravel
et al. 2013; Gollwitzer 1999) is one avenue that can
have the potential to promote exercise behavior and adherence.
Namely, implementation intentions are concrete plans that specify in an if-then format when, where, and how a
person intends to carry out an activity (Gollwitzer 1999).
Implementation intentions can help individuals who intend to
pursue a goal and are in the action-planning (volitional) phase
(Schwarzer 2001) with regards to reaching and maintaining
their goals (Bélanger-Gravel et al. 2013).
Specifically, implementation
intentions create contingencies between a cue in the
environment (e.g., if ‘it is 5 pm after work’) and the goal-directed
behavior (e.g., then ‘I will go to the gym’). Implementation
intentions are highly effective in promoting healthenhancing
behaviors (e.g., medication adherence, physical activity),
as summarized in a meta-analysis of 94 studies that
produced an average effect size of 0.65 (Cohen’s d; Gollwitzer
and Sheeran 2006).
To date, compared to other cognitive-behavioral
interventions (e.g., self-monitoring), implementation
intentions remain the most effective strategy in increasing
physical activity, demonstrating small to moderate effect size
on physical activity behavior immediately post-intervention
(i.e., standard mean difference (SMD)=0.31) and at no-contact
follow-up periods of approximately 11 weeks
(SMD=0.24; Bélanger-Gravel et al. 2013). Provided that implementation
intentions address only one factor (i.e., planning)
of physical activity adoption and maintenance, other
barriers to exercise-related maintenance may be better addressed
by alternative interventions.