Exercise Moderates Age-Related Decline in Motor Imagery Vividness Across the Lifespan

Motor imagery, the mental simulation of movement without actual execution, plays a vital role in motor learning, performance, and rehabilitation. This study investigated the effects of age, exercise experience, exercise frequency, and gender on motor imagery vividness using the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire-2 (VMIQ-2). A total of 150 participants aged 18 to 80 completed the questionnaire online. Results showed that increasing age was significantly associated with reduced imagery vividness for both first-person (r = 0.42) and third-person (r = 0.35) perspectives, with a stronger effect on the first-person perspective. Regular exercise experience and frequency were positively associated with vividness scores across both perspectives. Regression analyses showed that age and exercise frequency were significant predictors of VMIQ-2 scores, explaining 51% of the variance in third-person and 75% in first-person imagery. Moderation analysis revealed that exercise frequency significantly moderated the relationship between age and both first-person (ΔR² = 0.03, p < .001) and third-person (ΔR² = 0.01, p < .001) imagery, suggesting that regular exercise may help mitigate age-related decline in motor imagery ability. No significant gender differences were observed after controlling for age and exercise. These findings support theoretical frameworks such as embodied cognition and the simulation theory of motor cognition, emphasizing the importance of regular physical activity in maintaining motor imagery ability across the lifespan. The study provides practical implications for designing age-appropriate motor imagery interventions in sports and rehabilitation contexts.