Fig. 3

The temporal program structure and content overview of ImPuls. The dark gray boxes illustrate the supervised sessions with group meetings (“Group Session”) and moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise (“MVAE”) as well as the supporters’ session in week 5. The group sessions integrate different behavioral change techniques (“BCT”) to enhance motivational and volitional skills with the long-term aim for maintenance aerobic exercise. The medium gray boxes illustrate non-supervised aerobic exercise in which the patients can choose independently any aerobic exercise that best fits to their interests and needs. The light gray box illustrates the non-supervised group sessions from week 5 to 24 in which patients complete the aerobic exercise together but without the therapist. The telephones cartoons represent telephone contacts during the non-supervised time to monitor the long-term maintenance of aerobic exercise. The entire program is supported by the ImPuls smartphone application, developed especially for ImPuls