New research suggests there may be some truth in the old adage ‘where there’s a will there’s a way’ when it comes to exercise, after scientists found that recalling positive memories of past workouts could be the key to maintaining motivation in future.

Scientists at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) claim theirs is the first study to explore how positive memories can influence future workouts and hope the findings will have an impact on maintaining public health.

"This study underscores the power of memory's directive influence in a new domain with practical applications: exercise behaviours,” researchers Mathew Biondolillo, a doctoral student in psychology at UNH, and David Pillemer, professor of developmental psychology at UNH wrote.

"These results provide the first experimental evidence that autobiographical memory activation can be an effective tool in motivating individuals to adopt healthier lifestyles."

The researchers looked at the effect remembering past exercise experiences had on university students' subsequent exercise intentions and behaviours.

They asked 150 students to recall either a positive or negative memory that would increase their motivation to exercise, while other students (the control group) were not asked to recall a motivational memory. The researchers then surveyed the students one week later to see if they reported an increase in exercise.

They found that students who remembered a positive exercise memory reported significantly higher levels of subsequent exercise than those who were not asked to recall a memory about exercise.

Results also showed that students who were asked to recall a negative exercise memory reported working out more than the control group, but less than the group that recalled a positive exercise memory.

"Without explicit direction or encouragement, our sample of college students, amidst the innumerable distractions afforded by life at a large, public university, increased their reported exercise activities from their habitual levels," the researchers said.

"From a public health perspective, identifying factors that can motivate individuals to engage in regular exercise is vital."

There have been many studies promoting the effects of regular exercise on the brain, but this is one of the first to investigate the effect the brain can have on encouraging regular exercise.

The new research was presented in the recent article Using memories to motivate future behaviour: An experimental exercise intervention in the journal Memory.