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Fitness & Endurance News| Staff Reporter | August
25, 2006
Go Figure: Weight loss one of the worst reasons to
exercise
(Dubai Health & News) Exercising to lose weight? Think of
another reason or the odds are you won't be exercising for long,
according to a University of Michigan study of women.
The study, reported in the journal Sex Roles, found that women who
exercise for a body shape motive, such as wanting to lose weight or to
become toned, spend about 40 percent less time exercising than women who
exercise for motives not related to achieving a certain body shape or
weight.
"Everyone knows that exercise is good for them. Most don't do it
consistently," said Michelle Segar, a University of Michigan (U-M)
psychology researcher who collaborated with Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, former
U-M psychology professor, and Donna Spruijt-Metz of the Institute of
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Los Angeles.
Researchers say there appears to be a greater chance of maintaining
exercise habits when the exercise is for a non-body shape reason, such
as reducing stress, increasing a sense of well-being, or for the
intrinsic enjoyment of the activity itself for social reasons, such as
wanting to do something with a friend.
The women studied, all in their mid-40s, reported how much they
exercised in a typical week. Nearly half--44 percent--said they
exercised to lose weight, maintain weight and/or tone their bodies, and
these women did almost 40 percent less exercise than others with
non-body shape motivation.
Research shows that the reasons people initiate exercise regimes are
different from the reasons associated with participating long term.
Intrinsic reasons, such as enjoying the physical activity you
participate in, are considered important for maintaining the activity
over time.
In contrast, women who decide to exercise to lose weight or change their
body shape may select physical activities based on how many calories
they burn, rather than on how much they will like doing that
activity---a recipe for eventually quitting.
"We're all so busy. Who has time to fit in an activity you don't
really enjoy?" Segar said. "Don't take up running if you don't
particularly enjoy running. You're better off to find something more
pleasurable, like walking with a friend, or to do something you do like
and will keep doing long-term as a regular part of your life.''
The study also found:
 Women
exercising with a body-shape motivation reported walking 2 1?2 times
less than women with non-body shape motives, (16 percent vs. 55
percent).
Women
with body-shape motivation reported taking classes and going to
gyms/fitness centers three times as often as women with non-body shape
motives (52 percent vs. 12 percent), showing that women with this goal
used exercise techniques they might not enjoy more frequently because
they thought it would help them lose weight the fastest.
Women
who exercised for body-shaping reasons reported participating in
physical activities that are higher intensity. They also selected
activities that fit into the more traditional definition of
exercise---more formal and structured activities---with the idea that
they had to go some place for it to count as exercise.
"There are so many good reasons to exercise like stress relief, to
feel energized, to be stronger, to balance your life, to just get away
by yourself or for a better sense of well-being," Segar said.
"Women tend to pick something structural like taking a class, and
they quit when the class is over, or they jog because an event is coming
up and quit after the event. But something like walking regularly can
help more long-term. You don't have to sweat for exercise to
count."
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