The Pattern of Affective Responses to Dance-Based Group Exercise Differs According to Physical Fitness, as Measured by a Smartwatch

The present study investigated the effect of a dance-based aerobic exercise, on the affective experiences of participants with different fitness levels. Thirty-two college students were enrolled in the same dance fitness course, tested using a physical fitness test (the National Fitness Project 100) and grouped accordingly to 15 sports majors (high-fit group) and 17 non-sports majors (low-fit group). Together, they participated in a single-session dance fitness program using 11 basic dance steps incorporated in Zumba rhythms of merengue and reggaeton for 47 min including warm-up and cool-down. Pre- and post-exercise affects were measured using the PANAS-X transmitted to each participant’s smartphone. During exercise, participants’ heart rate (HR) and their responses to the felt arousal scale (FAS) and the feeling scale (FS) by exercise section were measured using tailor-made applications on a smartwatch. Results showed that the intensity of exercise for the same exercise program was lower in the high-fit group than in the low-fit group, as evidenced by %HRmax. In addition, the pattern of affective change throughout the exercise sections was different according to the groups’ fitness levels, while the affective improvement was greater in the high-fit group. This study confirmed that physical fitness is a major variable influencing the relationship between exercise and affect.