Participation and Adherence to Exercise

Exercise participation and adherence
Exercise adherence is complex and difficult, yet something movement professionals are dedicated to helping others achieve. Experts disagree on how to increase exercise participation and adherence among the population. “In your opinion, how do we increase exercise participation and adherence among the population?”
Response
I think the best way to increase exercise participation and adherence among the population is to advocate being part of some type of support group. There are a few main explanations as to why I consider some form of companionship necessary for exercise adherence. First, humans have an innate instinct to compete. When people see others succeed, it motivates and drives them to do better for themselves. For example, males can get relatively competitive when it comes to how much weight they can bench press or how many push-ups they can do during a workout. They try to one-up each other and this has been an observation of mine on numerous occasions. Second, companionship provides an element of understanding and allows a bond to form between two people who are experiencing similar emotions, obstacles, and triumphs. I believe that, psychologically, having someone to provide an outlet for thoughts, worries, ideas, etc. is a huge advantage when it comes to staying driven to consistently be physically active. When emotions are just bottled up inside, there is a point where they start to wear a person down. Finally, having an “exercise buddy” can promote adventurous behavior and suppress embarrassment or a feeling of anxiety when it comes to trying new things in the exercise world. For example, a woman might be more inclined to sign up for a challenging CrossFit class if she had...

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...ng in a group heightened the individuals’ pain tolerance, and allowed athletes to train at a higher intensity for a longer period of time. Like the cliché states, “Two heads are better than one,” and when applied to exercise adherence, I think it is very fitting. However, I think before movement professionals decide to accept exercise partners as an effective strategy, more research will have to be conducted just to verify the efficiency of such tactics.

Works Cited

Cohen, E., Ejsmond-Frey, R., Knight, N., & Dunbar, R. (2010). Rowers. Biology Letters, 6(1), 106-108. Retrieved from http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/gca?allch=citmgr&submit=Go&gca=roybiolett;6/1/106
Gardner, A., & Reeves , G. (2013, January). Want to burn more calories? work out with a friend. Retrieved from http://www.virginactive.co.uk/active-matters/articles/exercise/work-out-with-a-friend