Background and Objectives: Despite extensive evidence supporting the benefits of physical exercise for older adults, the role of motivational and attentional conditions during practice in shaping their perceptual experience has received limited attention. This study aimed to examine the effects of implementing OPTIMAL practice conditions on perceived costs of movement in older adults, including movement self-consciousness, mental effort, and perceived physical fatigue.
Methods: In this randomized controlled trial conducted in Autumn 2025 at the Mohammad Amin Charity Institute in Isfahan, Iran, 50 older women (Mage = 67.19 ± 4.45 years) were randomly assigned to either an OPTIMAL exercise group or a control group. Both groups participated in an eight-week short-stick exercise program for fall prevention, consisting of three sessions per week. The OPTIMAL group practiced under conditions based on the OPTIMAL theory, including autonomy support, enhanced expectancies, and an external focus of attention, whereas the control group performed the same exercises under conventional instructional conditions. Movement self-consciousness, mental effort, and perceived fatigue were assessed at the end of the first and twenty-fourth training sessions.
Results: At the end of the intervention, the OPTIMAL group demonstrated lower levels of movement self-consciousness (3.76 ± 0.22 vs. 4.61 ± 0.26), mental effort (45.20 ± 14.47 vs. 55.20 ± 14.75), and perceived fatigue (3.52 ± 0.51 vs. 5.28 ± 0.54) compared with the control group. Moreover, reductions in these variables across the training period were significantly greater in the OPTIMAL group than in the control group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Optimizing the motivational-attentional conditions of exercise can reduce the perceived costs associated with movement execution in older adults and may offer a practical strategy for enhancing the exercise experience in fall-prevention programs.