The Effects of Exercise Intensity on Mood and Wellbeing

State subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S). The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) measures both state and trait anxiety in adults; it can be used to distinguish whether individuals are experiencing anxiety. Trait anxiety refers to the participant's disposition to anxiety, whereas state anxiety measures the current anxiousness of participants and is more labile. STAI is a questionnaire consisting of forty self-report items. Subjects are asked to rate the intensities of anxious feelings on a four-point scale: not at all, somewhat, moderately so or very much so. Scores range from twenty to eighty, where higher scores correlate with higher state or trait anxiety.

Positive and Negative Mood Schedule (PANAS). This questionnaire contains 20 items consisting of 10 positive and 10 negative emotions. The participants indicate to what extent they feel each emotion right now on a 5-point Likert Scale of 'very slightly =1 or not at all' to 'Extremely= 5'. Adding up the total positive and negative scores will produce overall positive and negative mood scores.

Immediate Mood Scaler (IMS). This questionnaire contains 22 items developed to assess dynamic components of mood. Participants are asked to rate their current mood state on a continuum using 7-point Likert scales (e.g., happy-sad, distracted-focused, sleepy-alert). For each item, an integer score between 1 and 7 is derived. The total score for this scale is the sum of the scores on all 22 items, where a higher score is indicative of better mood.

Measured by a chest strap heart rate monitor

The stress appraisal questionnaire captures 1) perceived situational and personal demands, and 2) personal resources. To the extent that perceived demands outweigh resources then individuals are anticipated to be in a "threat" state, whereas when resources outweigh demands individuals are expected to be in a "challenge" state.

A questionnaire is given pre-task that captures stress appraisals after knowledge of the task is obtained but before the task itself. There is a post-task questionnaire that assesses individuals' perceptions of the demands and resources after the task.