JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Physical activity (PA) confers numerous benefits to health and healthcare costs, yet most adults are not meeting recommended PA guidelines. Stress may be a factor that influences PA behavior. Research investigating the impact of stress on exercise behavior has yielded inconsistent findings. Most studies find that stress negatively impacts exercise, but there is some evidence that habitual exercising buffers this association.

Objective:

This study aims to examine the relationship between stress and exercise habits among habitual exercisers with internet-connected home fitness equipment (Peloton Bike) during the COVID-19 related lockdown.

Methods:

Participants were recruited through Facebook (N=146) and asked to complete an online survey which assessed COVID-19 related stressors, perceived stress associated with those stressors, and general perceived stress. Participants were also asked for consent to access their Peloton utilization data through the Peloton platform. From their utilization data the frequency and duration of cycling classes was calculated for 4 weeks pre-survey and 12 weeks post-survey. Hierarchical regression equations tested the association between stress reported on the survey and cycling during the 12 weeks post-survey.

Results:

There were 146 participants within our analysis sample. Peloton user data showed that study participants cycled frequently (M = 5.9 times per week) in the month prior to the survey and that pre-survey Peloton use was a strong predictor of exercise frequency (R2 =.57, F(2,143) = 95.27, P < .001) and duration (R2 = .58, F(2, 143) = 102.58, P < .001) for the 12 subsequent weeks. Neither the number of COVID-19 stressors nor perceived stress (general or COVID-19 related) impacted exercise participation (change in all R2 < .003, P’s > .5).

Conclusions:

The results suggest that stress does not impact exercise participation among adults with access to internet-connected home fitness equipment.