This study proposes adding pre-exercise to mindfulness training to determine if it improves effects. It hypothesizes that combining exercise and mindfulness will reduce stress and absenteeism, increase job performance, and make mindfulness practice easier. Participants from a previous mindfulness study will do guided and self-guided mindfulness twice a week for 50 weeks, with 0-15 minutes of pre-exercise. Surveys will measure outcomes. Analyses will examine organizational and individual impacts, differences based on demographics and intervention level, and relationships to outside exercise. Results could help organizations implement cost-effective mindfulness programs and target specific groups.

1. A Proposal to Study the Effects of
Adding Pre-Exercise to Mindfulness-
Based Training
Ryan C. Dugan, Samuel E. Dunham, Daniel J. O’Shea,
& Josh S. Shiver
Valdosta State University

2. Logic
• Occupational stress is associated with absenteeism, health
insurance claims, performance, and turnover intention.
• Mindfulness training is associated with low stress levels
and increased cognitive performance.
• People vary in difficulty being induced into a “mindful” state
due individual differences in dispositional and situational
factors such as stress and anxiety.
• Exercise is associated with decreased stress and anxiety.

3. Relevant Social Psychological Principles
• Social Affect
• Stress negatively impacts:
• Knowledge acquisition
• Schema accessibility
• Attribution
• Attitudes
• Persuasion
• Resilience
• Self-esteem
• Coping

4. Method
• Participants:
• One organization
• Departments will be coded
• Individuals who participated in the previous mindfulness
training program within the organization

5. Method
• Procedures:
• Two pre-exercise mindfulness training sessions per week, one
guided and one self-guided, for 50 weeks
• Pre-exercise activity will include walking the length of the
room, and lunging back at a pace set by the instructor
• Levels of the intervention will include 0 minutes, 5 minutes, 10
minutes, and 15 minutes
• Post-exercise mindfulness training will last 30 minutes for all
intervention levels
• Participants will be surveyed once per month

6. Hypotheses
• H1a: Organizational absenteeism data will show a
significant reduction from pre to post-study.
• H1b: The number of health insurance claims will be
significantly less at post-study than pre-study.
• H1c: Organizational turnover data will show significant
reduction from pre to post-study.
• H1d: Department-based job performance data will show
significant increase from pre to post-study.

7. Hypotheses
• H2a: Individual measures of perceived ease of mindfulness
state will significantly increase from pre to post-study.
• H2b: Individual measures of mindfulness level based on
FFMQ will significantly increase from pre to post-study.
• H2c: Individual measures of perceived stress will
significantly decrease from pre to post-study.
• H2d: Individual measures of turnover intentions will
significantly decrease from pre to post-study.

8. Hypotheses
• H3a: Individual gains in perceived ease of mindfulness will
co-vary with measures of amount of exercise outside
of work.
• H3b: Individual gains in mindfulness level based on FFMQ
will co-vary with measures of amount of exercise
outside of work.

9. Hypotheses
• H4a: Amount of time spent pre-exercising will show an
inverted-U relationship with perceived ease of
mindfulness.
• H4b:Amount of time spent pre-exercising will show an
inverted-U relationship with level of mindfulness based
on FFMQ.

10. Analyses
• Correlations
• To examine convergent and discriminant validity
• t-tests
• To interpret changes in organizational measures
• ANOVAs
• To compare differences across levels of the intervention

11. Discussion: Organizational Measures
• Direct effects:
• Significant decreases in absenteeism, number of health
insurance claims, and turnover
• Significant increases in departmental job performance
• Indirect effects:
• Increased organizational efficiency
• Improvement in the quality of the work environment
• Increase in revenue

12. Discussion: Individual Measures
• Direct effects:
• Significant increase in perceived ease of mindfulness and
FFMQ mindfulness
• Significant decrease in perceived level of stress
• Indirect effects:
• Individuals may partake in more exercise outside of work,
which could lead to even further decreases in stress and
anxiety

13. Discussion: Demographical
Differences
• Direct effects:
• Significant differences would be considered a limitation of the
study
• Indirect effects:
• Significant differences could provide insight on how to target
specific audiences
• Further research needed

14. Discussion: Differences in Intervention
• Direct effects:
• An optimal level might exist, rather than only a minimum level
• Indirect effects:
• Limitation in organizational application as the likelihood of
implementing small time-periods is greater than larger time-
periods

15. Discussion: Potential Limitations
• Generalizability of results
• Participants are volunteers
• Assumption of full involvement in participants
• Self-report biases

16. References
• Available upon request via email
• rcdugan@valdosta.edu
• sedunham@valdosta.edu
• djoshea@valdosta.edu
• jsshiver@valdosta.edu