Regular aerobic exercise increases dispositional mindfulness in men: A randomized controlled trial

• We examine whether exercise can be used to increase dispositional mindfulness.
• Regular aerobic exercise increases dispositional mindfulness.
• Relaxation and a waitlist condition do not affect dispositional mindfulness.
• Changes in dispositional mindfulness are related to changes in mental health.

Dispositional mindfulness is a construct described as the propensity to be aware of one's actions in everyday life. Although high dispositional mindfulness has been demonstrated to be beneficial for improved mental and physical health, little is known about ways to improve dispositional mindfulness for individuals not practicing meditation or mindful exercises. The study aimed at investigating (1) whether dispositional mindfulness can also be trained by regular aerobic exercise and (2) whether changes in dispositional mindfulness are associated with changes in mental and physical health. 149 healthy men were randomly allocated to one of two 12-week interventions (aerobic exercise or relaxation training) or a waitlist control condition. Dispositional mindfulness and mental and physical health were assessed before and after the intervention by self-report questionnaires. Over the course of the intervention, increases in dispositional mindfulness occurred in the aerobic exercise group but not in the relaxation or waitlist control conditions (p = .018). Increases in dispositional mindfulness were moderately correlated with improvements in mental health. For the first time, this study shows that dispositional mindfulness can be increased through regular aerobic exercise. Future research is needed to identify how the mindfulness-enhancing potential of aerobic exercise can be used most effectively.