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 goaldirected
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 nocontact
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.