Getting Active Through Mindfullness
Can an app-based intervention promoting physical activity engagement and enjoyment actually work?
A new randomised controlled trial from the University of Bath found that pairing a step-tracking wearable with a 30-day digital mindfulness program helped insufficiently active university students become more motivated to exercise, though it did not produce greater gains in physical activity than a step tracker alone.
The study, published in Mental Health and Physical Activity in April 2025, is the first to test a mindfulness intervention specifically designed and tailored to promote physical activity engagement and enjoyment. Physical activity nearly doubled in both groups over 30 days, and sitting time fell significantly. But the group using mindfulness came away with an edge: stronger intentions to be active going forward. A key psychological indicator of long-term behaviour change.
Aim
University students are among the least active and most mentally vulnerable segments of the population. Physical inactivity and poor mental health tend to emerge and worsen around the same time in early adulthood, making students a prime group for intervention. Enjoyment, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation are known psychological predictors of sustained physical activity, and mindfulness training is thought to build exactly those skills.
This trial set out to test whether adding a tailored digital mindfulness program to a wearable-based step goal produced greater improvements in physical activity, mental health, and exercise-related cognitions compared to the step goal alone.
Methods
109 university students across three universities in England were recruited between January and April 2024. All participants were insufficiently active (less than 60 minutes of physical activity per week) and were given a wrist-worn activity monitor with a daily target of 8,000 steps.
Half were also enrolled in a 30-day digital mindfulness program delivered through the free Medito app. Each session ran for 10 minutes and combined mindfulness exercises (breathing, body scans, present-moment awareness) with psychoeducation on topics like goal setting, self-compassion, and managing setbacks. The other half received only the step tracker and the goal.
Participants completed surveys before and after the 30 days and filled in a brief daily diary each evening throughout the trial. Outcomes included self-reported physical activity, sitting time, wellbeing, mental health, exercise enjoyment, motivation, self-efficacy, and behavioural intentions to be active.
Book a call with me here.
We’ll sit down and upgrade or build out your entire training and performance program in one session.
Results
Physical activity more than doubled in both groups over the 30 days. The mindfulness-plus-activity group (MPA) increased weekly physical activity by an average of 1,492 MET-min per week and cut sitting time by 18.6 hours per week. The step-tracker-only group increased by 1,187 MET-min per week and reduced sitting by 9.1 hours per week. The difference between groups was not statistically significant.
The standout finding was in behavioural intentions: the MPA group reported a significantly greater increase in their intentions to be physically active compared to the step-tracker-only group. This matters because intention to exercise is one of the strongest predictors of whether people keep moving after an intervention ends.