Relation of Rated Fatigue and Changes in Energy after Exercise and over 14 Weeks in Previously Sedentary Women Exercisers

For 36 previously sedentary, asymptomatic women the relation of changes in Fatigue and Energy after exercise and over a 14-wk. period associated with participating in a moderate cardiovascular exercise program was analyzed. Scores on the Exercise-induced Feeling Inventory subscale of Physical Exhaustion significantly decreased, and those on the subscale of Revitalization significantly increased immediately after completion of exercise. Feeling state scores before exercise (high vs low on Physical Exhaustion and Revitalization) were not significantly associated with the change in scores on the subscales. Scores on the Profile of Mood States subscale of Fatigue significantly decreased and on the subscale of Vigor significantly increased over the 14-wk. study. Participants with initially higher Fatigue scores showed significantly greater mean change over the 14 wk. than those with lower scores. No such difference was found for changes in Vigor scores. Significant correlations between both measures of Fatigue (Physical Exhaustion and Fatigue) (r = .36) and Energy (Revitalization and Vigor) (r = .54) were found which indicated a relation between changes in feeling after exercise and those over 14 wk. Limitations and implications of the findings were discussed based on theories of exercise-induced affective change.