Optimising the exercise experience to facilitate healthy food choices: the role of high-intensity intermittent exercise and basic psychological need-support

It is well-established that exercise is associated with a variety of physical and psychological benefits; however, certain post-exercise behaviours, such as consuming excess or unhealthy foods in the aftermath of an exercise session, may counteract some of these benefits. The effect of exercise on food consumption appears to be influenced by both exercise format (e.g., overall intensity and structure of exercise) as well as psychological experiences during exercise. As such, the aim of this research was to examine which exercise conditions, both in terms of the format and psychological experiences of exercise, have the strongest influence on post-exercise appetite and food intake. Forty physically inactive men and women (BMI 24.6 ± 4.8 kg·m-2) were randomised to either a need-support or no-support condition, with each participant completing two experimental trials involving 30 min of moderate-intensity continuous cycling (MICT) and sprint interval cycling (SIT). Post-exercise food consumption was assessed using a laboratory test meal comprising of foods from 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' sources. Participants provided with psychological need-support consumed less energy from foods following SIT (1895 ± 1040 kJ) than MICT (2475 ± 1192 kJ), despite similar ratings of appetite. Findings from this work highlight the need to reconsider traditional exercise guidelines where dietary intake is a concern.