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In the second topic area – exercise and cognition have been linked in various ways, such as examining exercise effects on executive functions and exploring thoughts we have while exercising. I will focus on the second area and describe why it is important to examine what we attend to and think about during exercise and physical activity. Earlier research in this area noted that as exercise becomes more difficult, either by increasing intensity or duration, our attention and thoughts shift inward and towards the task at hand, termed associative attention. When the exercise is perceived as not difficult, then our attention and thoughts are more flexible. In this case, we often attend to things that are external and not related to the task such as our plans later in the day, a decision we need to make, or what we might cook for dinner, termed dissociative attention. In a series of studies I conducted with colleagues in the area, we examined if we could delay the shift and increase the amount of time exercisers are more flexible in their thoughts and are dissociating from the task. The reason this is important is that when dissociating from the task, we tend to enjoy the task more, not focus on the pain and discomfort, and thus, engage in exercise for longer durations and are more likely to maintain exercise habits. In our studies, we examined how presentation of stimuli such as music, videos, essential oils, and flavored mouth guards can make exercise more enjoyable with participants attending dissociative thoughts more often and for longer durations. The findings indicated that using environmental stimuli related to various senses such as visual, auditory, olfactory, and taste can enhance the exercise experience, promote engagement in exercise and distract participants from the exercise task (for more details see Ritchie et al., 2016). References Basevitch, I., Tenenbaum, G., Filho, E., Razon, S., Boiangin, N., & Ward, P. (2020). Anticipation and Situation Assessment Skills in Soccer Under Cued and Non-Cued Contextual Conditions. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. 42(1), 59-69. Ritchie, J., Braun, R., Basevitch I., Boiangin, N., & Tenenbaum, G. (2016). The Effects of Lemon Taste on Attention, Perceived Exertion, and Affect during a Stepping Task. Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 25, 9-16. "... when dissociating from the task, we tend to enjoy the task more, not focus on the pain and discomfort, and thus, engage in exercise for longer durations." 11 Northcentral University Psychology Bulletin