Mind over muscle: can daydreaming about your fit future get you off the couch?
NCT ID NCT06123182
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether guided imagery—specifically, vividly imagining a future where you are physically active—can help mid-life adults stick to an exercise program. 160 participants will complete an in-person exercise program and be randomly assigned to different imagery exercises. Researchers will track exercise adherence, brain activity via MRI, and mood to see if this mental trick makes working out more appealing.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- guided imagery (episodic future thinking)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to help people stay active and potentially support healthy brain aging.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage behavioral study with no direct health outcome measures. The effect on brain health is speculative, and results may not apply to everyone.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 160 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2024
- Expected to finish
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May 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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45 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * speak English * have access to reliable communication (a telephone or cell phone, computer, etc.) * normal or corrected to normal vision and hearing * ambulatory (without the use of assistive devices) * physically underactive * able to give informed consent * able to exercise continuously on the recumbent stepper exercise device for 4 minutes greater than or equal to 25 watts to demonstrate ability to perform exercise on stepper \& no aerobic exercise contraindications or other safety/physical concerns * able to communicate with investigators, follow 2-step command \& correctly answer consent comprehension questions * stable blood pressure and statin medication doses for 30 days as these affect vascular health/hemodynamics * willing and able to safely enter magnetic resonance (MR) scanner and attempt the MR scan * willing and able to attempt a blood draw Exclusion Criteria: * patients with arrhythmias or acute cardiac events will be excluded due to potential complications with the supervised moderate exercise * at risk for hazard due to magnetic fields due to MR safety concerns * have any neurologic or psychiatric disorder except depression, anxiety (including post-traumatic stress disorder) * have history of seizures or head trauma due to MR data quality
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Kansas Medical Center
RECRUITINGKansas City, Kansas, 66160, United States
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