Physical Activity: All bodily movements that cause increases in physical exertion beyond  that which occurs during normal activities of daily living

Exercise: A form of leisure physical activity that is undertaken in order to achieve a  particular+objective, such as improved appearance, improved cardiovascular fitness, or  reduced stress

 

Parent Disciplines of Exercise Psychology

Psychology: A field of study concerned with various mental processes people experience  and use in all aspects of their lives

Exercise Science: The study of all aspects of sport, recreation, exercise-fitness, and  rehabilitative behavior

 

Concerns of Exercise Psychology

  •    The application of psychological principles to the promotion and maintenance of  leisure physical activity
  •     The psychological and emotional consequences of leisure physical activity

 

Sister Fields of Exercise Psychology

Rehabilitation Psychology: Relationship between psychological factors and the physical  rehabilitative process

Health Psychology:  Psychological processes related to health and health care  ex.

Nutrition, smoking cessation, etc.

Behavioral Medicine:  Interrelationships of behavioral, physical, and psychological factors  in treatment of disease and disability

 

Why Study Exercise Psychology?

  •     To understand the psychological antecedents of exercise behavior

o Adoption   o Adherence: 50  of people who start a structured program drop out  o Noncompliance: Prescribed exercise

  • To understand the psychological consequences of exercise  o Reduce negative and promote positive psychological-emotional states

 

Common Benefits of Physical Activity

  •    Lowers morbidity and mortality rates
  •    Reduces risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, colon cancer and heart disease
  •    Helps reduce blood pressure in those with hypertension
  •    Reduces feelings of depression, anxiety and general negative mood
  •    Enhances general positive mood
  •    Improves body image, self- esteem, and self-concept
  •     Helps weight control
  •    Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints
  •    Enhances ability to perform activities of daily living

 

Reasons to Exercise

  •    Enhanced physical appearance
  •     Improved physiological health-physical fitness
  •     Improved psychological-emotional health  anxiety, depression, etc.
  •    Improved social relations

 

Barriers to Physical Activity

  •    Lack of time
  •     Boredom-lack of enjoyment
  •     Convenience-availability
  •     Environmental-ecological factors
  •     Physical limitations

 

An Examination of Female NonCExercisers’ Thoughts About Exercise

Few studies have examined the exercise related thoughts of non-exercisers:

  •     Thoughts not significant-relevant
  •    Negative aspects of exercise
  •    Self-efficacy for exercise
  •     Similar thoughts, different interpretation

 

Method

  •    40 women aged 25-75 were chosen to participate in one of 6 focus groups, based on  their age and contingent on their status as a non-exerciser
  •    A non-exerciser was defined as engaging in exercise activity one time per week or  less in the past 6 months to a year
  •    Each focus group was composed of 5-7 women with two groups for each of the  following age categories: 25-35, 45-55, and 65-75

 

Results and Discussion

Specific thoughts about exercise:

  •    Frequency
  • 25-35 and 45-55 age group: “Every day I think about it, several times a day, usually in the morning and at night”
  • 65-75 age group: “No not really. I just do things, I do not actively think about exercise”

 

Thoughts and feelings about exercise:

  •    All age categories: Time consuming, boring, not enjoyable, can be lonely
  •     Can see themselves working hard but not really enjoying it
  •    Associated exercise with “work” and thought it to be a “chore”

 

Benefits of not exercising:

  • 25:35 age group: “I find that if you are not exercising you don’t have to worry about  how your body looks in comparison to other people that are in the gym, and that  kind of a thing, cause if you are not seeing it, its ok to be yourself. So it’s not stressful  that way.”   o A benefit to not exercising is not having to be labeled as an exerciser
  • 45-55 age group: “The time I would spend exercising, I could spend more time with  my family”  o A benefit to not exercising is not having to make the effort to include exercise  in your day and using that time to do more important things