Enduring Exercise Habits

Brief Summary

Detailed Description

The four sub-studies are: 1. Sweet spot Past studies have shown that steady routines associated with stable cues are a hallmark of successful habits. However, recent research has demonstrated that incentivizing an overly rigid routine (e.g., every workout must be at the same time each day) creates a less lasting exercise habit than incentivizing a flexible exercise routine (e.g., workouts can be at any time of day). In this study, the investigators examine whether offering higher rewards for exercise that occurs at a planned, routine time than for exercise at other times, but still offering some rewards for exercise outside of these planned moments, may improve over total flexibility for producing lasting habits. 2. Falling off the Wagon (FOTW) In the long run, missing one workout won't make much difference to a person's overall health. Psychologically, however, missing a workout may lead people to feel they've already failed at meeting their fitness goals, zapping their motivation to exercise in the future. In this study, the investigators examine whether offering 50% larger incentive for exercise to people after they miss a planned workout leads to more sustained exercise habits than incentivizing all workouts equally. 3. Think Twice Studies have shown that people tend to fall into the planning fallacy -- optimistically overestimating their performance in some future activity. In this study, the investigators examine whether people who the investigators taught about the planning fallacy would make more realistic exercise plans and adhere to those plans better. 4. Weekly vs. Daily Routines (WDR) This study will examine whether incentivizing people to create a daily routine that is consistent every day for a month or a weekly routine that is consistent every week for a month helps people build a more lasting exercise habit. In the daily routines condition, participants will be required to schedule workouts (and associated text reminders) at the same time of day on every weekday, and the same time of day on each weekend throughout our four week treatment period. In the weekly routines condition, participants will be allowed to schedule workouts (and associated text reminders) at different times on different days of the week, but their schedule must be the same for each of the four weeks of our four week treatment period.

Primary Outcomes