Lauren Levesque

WHY AREN’T PEOPLE MOTIVATED TO EXERCISE?

I was intrigued by the topic of exercise, because exercise and sporting activities have always been a major part in my life. I have always competed in athletics, thus I have had a rigorous exercise routine throughout my life. I enjoy going to the gym on a daily basis, and love the feeling and idea of being fit. I try my best to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and I am extremely passionate about fitness. This passion led me to question how anyone could neglect a fit lifestyle. I began to wonder why people are unmotivated to exercise, especially knowing the great benefits exercise can bring to one’s life. WHY DID I CHOOSE THIS TOPIC?

I began conducting interviews on various people – specifically people that were extremely active or extremely inactive. During this process I tried to discover what motivated people to be fit, or what reasons people provided for not exercising. INTERVIEWS

Interviewee: Donna Background: Middle-Age mother of three, who is unmotivated to exercise. Why do you believe you have a lack of motivation to exercise? “I am not very confident in myself, which makes me question whether or not I want to go to the gym. I also feel embarrassed by my appearance and going to the gym increases that embarrassment. Another reason is that I do not think I can physically do different workouts the proper way.” What do you believe you can do to change this? “If I have someone constantly nagging me to go exercise, I think I will eventually get up and go. Also, when I eat healthy, I feel like I should go to the gym as well.” UNMOTIVATED

Interviewee: Matthew Background: NCAA College Athlete, who is extremely motivated to exercise. Do you enjoy exercising? What motivates you to exercise? How often do you Exercise? “I enjoy exercising a lot and for a number or reasons. I am not the type of person who enjoys sitting idle, I love being active and always competing in athletics at a high level. Exercising frequently allows me to continue to compete in athletics, and it also keeps me healthy. Another reason why I enjoy exercising is because I do not take my body for granted. I say this because I have personally been affected by people who are unable to walk. Watching these individuals suffer, drives me to push my body, because I realize that some people would do anything just to walk – let alone exercise. I appreciate the privilege of exercising, and I am aware that at any moment my life can change. This fear is what drives me.” MOTIVATED

Donna displayed her lack of motivation to exercise. She blamed Her lack of self-confidence Dislike of her physical appearance Her lack of physical ability Matthew displayed his extreme passion for exercise, and he credits Passion for athletics Desire to maintain his body, and live a healthy life Fear of losing his abilities UnmotivatedMotivated INTERVIEW: RESULTS The interview results provided me with an understanding of both sides of the exercise motivation argument

The two interviewees demonstrated the opposite sides of the motivational spectrum. Donna on one hand represented the lack of motivation; whereas, Matthew represented the extremely motivated. I found this information extremely interesting, and this guided me into my next step of research. RESULTS CONTINUED…

POP CULTURE: FITNESS

This video displays the importance of the promotion of fitness from a celebrity standpoint. This particular clip from ABC News demonstrates one of actress Jennifer Aniston’s ways of staying fit. I chose this specific video because the clip provides it’s viewers with a different outlook on fitness and dieting. This video suggests that there are benefits to having cheat days. These cheat days allow an individual to indulge on the food they typically believe that they must cut out of their diet to remain healthy. This diet technique may encourage people for a number of reasons. Firstly, because it is endorsed by a famous celebrity, but also because it encourages dieters to treat themselves occasionally. This type of technique may encourage more people to exercise. POP CULTURE : FITNESS

A 2009 Study suggests that… 60% of European adults do not participate in physical activity or sports within a typical week Less than 50% of American adults consider themselves regularly active 15% of adults in Canada meet recommended level of physical activity (Teixeira, 2012) A SCHOLAR’S VIEW OF FITNESS MOTIVATION

According to various studies conducted up to June 2011, people can become more motivated to exercise if they apply self regulation. This study suggests that individuals will become motivated if they set achievable goals, and regulate themselves throughout their workout regiment as opposed to people who do not regulate themselves. This study encourages individuals to become very self-motivational, in other words become your own biggest supporter. (Teixeira, 2012) This action of self motivation could help the interviewee “Donna” who struggled to get herself to go to the gym routinely. “If I have someone constantly nagging me to go exercise, I think I will eventually get up and go.” Instead of looking for someone to push you to exercise, this study suggest that it is extremely beneficial for an individual to push themselves. A SCHOLAR’S VIEW OF FITNESS MOTIVATION

In the article Find Your Fitness Motivation, author Alexa Sherman asserts her belief of finding a profound motivation for exercise. Sherman believes instead of thinking of “buffing up or fitting into a bikini…Find a source of passion, and maintaining your motivation will be easier.” (Sherman, 2002). In this article the author depicts different individual’s motivations for exercise and the affect that motivation has on that particular person. For example, the author displays a story of a mother whom at first has no motivation to exercise often, but then her daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. The mother then made here daughter her “honor patient”, and she trained and competed in a marathon. She believes that training and competing truly made her more healthy and relieved her stress. "I feel stronger and much more motivated to be healthy now," she says. (Sherman, 2002). A SCHOLAR’S VIEW OF FITNESS MOTIVATION

Why Aren’t People Motivated to Exercise? My research has provided me with many reasons why people are not motivated to exercise, and my study also demonstrated how people can become motivated. The interviews gave me a start to my research and displayed how both motivated and unmotivated individuals think. On one hand people make excuses, on the other hand people provide goals. This study also showed the pop culture impact fitness has on our daily lives. For example, the endorsement of physical activity from famous celebrities. My research also showed how people can become self-motivational by setting goals for themselves and becoming self regulating. This study went on to prove that having a profound inspiration for exercise, such as running a marathon for your daughter, can lead to becoming motivated.

Christy, Donna. (2013, October 17) Personal Interview. Jennifer Aniston's Workout Secrets Revealed. (2013, May 3). YouTube. Retrieved from Regan, Matthew. (2013, October 25). Personal Interview. Sherman, A. J. (2002, 06). Find your fitness motivation. Shape, 21, 26. Retrieved from Teixeira, P. J., Carraça, E. V., Markland, D., Silva, M. N., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Exercise, physical activity, and self-determination theory: A systematic review. International Journal Of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity, 9(1), doi: / Retrieved from EBSCO. *All pictures are used from Microsoft 2010 clipart.