Understanding the Effect of Reflective Iteration on Individuals' Physical Activity Planning

Many people do not get enough physical activity. Establishing routines to incorporate physical activity into people’s daily lives is known to be effective, but many people struggle to establish and maintain routines when facing disruptions. In this paper, we build on prior self-experimentation work to assist people in establishing or improving physical activity routines using a framework we call “reflective iteration.” This framework encourages individuals to articulate, reflect upon, and iterate on high-level “strategies” that inform their day-to-day physical activity plans. We designed and deployed a mobile application, Planneregy, that implements this framework. Sixteen U.S. college students used the Planneregy app for 42 days to reflectively iterate on their weekly physical exercise routines. Based on an analysis of usage data and interviews, we found that the reflective iteration approach has the potential to help people find and maintain effective physical activity routines, even in the face of life changes and temporary disruptions.