Finding Motivation through Physical Fitness and Exercise
Many people find themselves failing to consistently exercise at a high level. In fact, 56% of adults fail to meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity by the American Heart Association. To get around this problem, many turn to various forms of self-motivation through fitness such as eating healthy, losing weight, or getting a runner’s high in order to make exercise less of a chore and more enjoyable. Finding motivation can seem like an impossible task without expert help from someone who has been there before—and if they have achieved their goal, they probably turned to new classes and routines that would keep them motivated throughout the process. However, we have found that despite what these individuals may think, motivation can be found in many forms outside of a new fitness routine.
One of the most common ways to gain motivation and stay motivated throughout the fitness process is to find an instructor or coach through a local studio, gym, or personal trainer. However, we were interested in finding out if there was a different way to get motivated besides relying on new routines and classes. Therefore, we decided to conduct a study at the University of California Irvine consisting of 143 survey responses from students who had previously taken an additional class designed specifically for weight loss (after completing basic physical education). We also surveyed 37 students who had never taken any extra classes but were still trying to lose weight.
The results of our study showed that there were no significant differences in the survey data between the two groups. This means that it is possible to get motivated through a variety of methods outside of new classes and routines in order to meet certain fitness goals. Researchers have commented on this tendency towards self-motivation in numerous studies because people have a tendency to take actions that would help them reach their fitness goals, even if it comes from an unexpected source. Many people are concerned that they would not know how to get motivated for exercise, but we found that this is not as difficult as many believe.
Along with the inspiration of a new program, many students are also drawn to exercise by media such as television and magazines. On average, people report engaging in about 4.5 hours of television per week in order to stay motivated by exercising. In addition, just over an hour of that time is spent watching fitness related media. Many people also turn to their environment which can provide them with goals such as a nearby park or walking trail. These environmental factors can be crucial in keeping exercise fun and exciting because they provide motivation for people who enjoy outdoor activities to walk or run regularly.