Music and Light during Indoor Cycling

The present research is a field study assessing effects of music and light on physical performance and subjective feelings of 28 participants (14 men, 14 women) in fitness classes using indoor cycling. Participants performed four sessions under different conditions of music and light. Analysis showed a sense of pleasure was significantly higher when music was introduced during the exercise. A significant interaction of music and light indicated that participants experienced less sense of tiredness when they trained with music and lights were dimmed. Light alone had no effect on any of the subjective measures. Physiological measurements showed that light and music did not influence amount of energy exerted (heart rate) or energy expended (calories). Apparently, participants do not work harder when music is present; however, they report more pleasure and less tiredness while exercising with music and dimmed light. It is recommended that music and dimmed light might be used during such activities to heighten pleasure and reduce tiredness while emphasizing fitness achieved.

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