A study by researchers at the UK's University of Bath has found that daily mindfulness training increases people's overall intentions to stay active in the long term when tracked their steps.

Published in the journal of Mental Health and Physical Activity, the new research shows that while study participants who only tracked their steps increased their short term physical activity – it was the daily mindfulness exercises that pushed people to think about making a lasting change.

The trial involved 109 adults in England who weren’t meeting recommended activity levels. Over 30 days, all participants were asked to aim for 8,000 steps a day using a basic tracker. Half of the cohort also followed a daily mindfulness programme via a mobile app, with short practices focused on body awareness, movement and exercise.

The mindfulness sessions were created by the researchers in collaboration with the non-profit Medito Foundation and delivered via the free mobile app, Medito.

By the end of the month, both groups had become more active. On average, those in the mindfulness group increased their activity levels by about 373 minutes of moderate exercise a week, while those only tracking their steps averaged 297 minutes per week.

In addition, those who used the mindfulness app reported a significantly stronger intention to keep exercising, which researchers suggest shows that a gradual, longer-term change was beginning – however the study has not yet been followed up to explore this trend.

Lead researcher Dr Masha Remskar from the department of psychology at the University of Bath’s Centre for Motivation and Behaviour Change said: "Our findings show that even short-term mindfulness training, combined with step-tracking, can make people want to move more – which could have lasting benefits. Helping people build that internal drive towards behaviour is essential, especially at a time when many people are struggling to stay active."

"Intentions are one of the strongest predictors of future behaviour,” Remskar added. “What's exciting is that adding a mindfulness component to step-tracking seems to help people mentally commit to being more active – laying the foundation for future behaviour change."

The team will now explore ways to make mindfulness training more appealing and effective. Future studies are expected to test whether the motivational benefits seen in this trial translate into real-world behaviour over time.

The paper, Getting Active through Mindfulness: Randomised controlled trial of a digital mindfulness-based intervention promoting physical activity engagement and enjoyment, is available here.

Remskar was research officer at the not-for-profit Medito Foundation between January 2022 and January 2023 and has been on its Scientific Advisory Board since September 2021.