How do you get people to exercise?
Exercise has a large range of health benefits. However, many do not exercise regularly. How can you help more people to start exercising?
This study investigated the effect of two exercise promoting strategies on exercise participation. The first strategy was motivating subjects by educating them on the health benefits of exercise. The second strategy was to also make a concrete plan to exercise (what, when, and where) after receiving the health information.
The motivational strategy was effective in increasing the intention to exercise. However, motivation does not always translate into action. Indeed, the motivational strategy alone did not improve exercise participation compared to the control treatment. Participants often stated that they were ‘too busy to exercise’.
However, in the third group subjects were also asked to make a concrete plan to exercise (what, when, and where). This dramatically improved exercise participation.
This study shows that motivation alone is not enough. Life gets in the way of your desired behavior. By making a specific plan, you’re more likely to stick to your intention.
In conclusion, motivating people by explaining the health benefits of exercise alone does not improve exercise participation. However, exercise participation can be drastically improved by adding a specific plan of when, where and what to do.