#2 Just Do It? The Paradox of Physical Activity, Intention-Action Gap, Motivation and Obsessive Behaviour | Prof. Boris Cheval

In this episode I meet with Professor Boris Cheval. Professor Cheval has worked as a researcher at institutions such as the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis in France, the University of Ottawa in Canada or the University of Genève in Switzerland.  Most recently, he has taken on the role of Assistant Professor at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Rennes, France,  where he is today.

We talk about physical activity and inactivity - why even though we know sport and physical activity are good for us, we still prefer to minimize physical effort? Professor Cheval's research centers around this question. He offers some explanations of this phenomenon and shares strategies and tips on how to make it more probable that we do choose to exercise after all. We also discuss the difference between sports as a healthy habit, and sports as an obsession or addiction.

💪 Workout Mojo. How cues in your environment help you engage in exercise?
🚀 Sports Fanatic or Addict?
🌈 What exactly is 'Runner's High'?
🏋️‍♂️ How much physical activity is enough and what's the difference between sport and physical activity?
🍰 Cheat day or Nah? Should I reward myself with a chocolate cake after I workout?

LISTEN to find out the answers :)

#Hit the books:
Exercise Dependent Scale
Habits: definition and more
Gardner, B., & Rebar, A. L. (2019). Habit formation and behavior change. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.129
Daily Steps and All-cause Mortality
Paluch, A. E., Bajpai, S., Bassett, D. R., Carnethon, M. R., Ekelund, U., Evenson, K. R., Galuska, D. A., Jefferis, B. J., Kraus, W. E., Lee, I., Matthews, C. E., Omura, J. D., Patel, A. V., Pieper, C. F., Rees‐Punia, E., Dallmeier, D., Klenk, J., Whincup, P. H., Dooley, E. E.,. . . Fulton, J. E. (2022). Daily steps and all-cause mortality : A meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts. The Lancet Public Health, 7(3), e219‑e228. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2468-2667(21)00302-9
Training on choosing physical activity
Maltagliati, S., Sarrazin, P., Michelet, D., Fessler, L., Ferry, T., Wiers, R. W., & Cheval, B. (2023). Improving physical activity using a single personalized consequence-based approach-avoidance training : effects on self-reported behaviors, attitudes, and choices. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 102565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102565
Physical Activity and Socioeconomic Status
Chalabaev, A., Sieber, S., Sander, D., Cullati, S., Maltagliati, S., Sarrazin, P., Boisgontier, M. P., & Cheval, B. (2022). Early-Life socioeconomic circumstances and physical activity in older age : women pay the price. Psychological Science, 33(2), 212