A recent study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä investigated the emotions caused by physical activity and what motivates people of different weight groups to exercise. The study found that people with obesity experienced less pleasant emotions during exercise compared to those of normal weight. The researcher recommends that pleasure and enjoyment should be considered in exercise counseling aimed at weight management.
Physical activity plays a central role in the prevention and treatment of obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases. At the same time, however, levels of physical activity are declining worldwide. Among people with obesity, lack of motivation has been identified as a key barrier to being physically active, yet research on this topic remains limited.
Emotions associated with exercise differ between weight groups
In a study conducted at the Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä, researchers examined how emotional experiences during exercise and exercise motivation vary with body mass index (BMI) and how these factors explain physical activity behavior. The researchers found that people with obesity experienced significantly fewer pleasurable emotions during exercise, such as enjoyment, physical empowerment, and pride compared to people of normal weight.
These findings are important because emotional experiences can strongly influence exercise motivation and shape long-term physical activity behavior. People tend to seek out activities that evoke pleasant emotions and avoid those that evoke negative emotions. The same applies to physical activity.”
Ella Hellsten, PhD researcher
Intrinsic motivation supports long-term physical activity
The study also found that people with obesity were less likely to participate in physical activity for reasons related to enjoyment. In contrast, appearance- and body-related motivations played a more important role among obese compared to those of normal weight.
“It appears that physical activity among people with obesity is more often driven by extrinsic factors than by intrinsic motivation,” says Hellsten. “However, intrinsic motivation is known to be more strongly associated with long-term and regular physical activity.
“Extrinsic motivation may be important for initiating physical activity, but for maintaining long-term exercise behavior, intrinsic motivation and enjoyment of the activity itself play a more important role.”
Incorporating pleasure into counseling practice
The study showed that positive emotional experiences and intrinsic motivation factors explain both the level of physical activity and individuals’ intentions to exercise in the future.
“The findings can be applied to health care and exercise counseling to develop individualized care plans aimed at preventing obesity and obesity-related comorbidities,” says Hellsten. “It is important to look at how physical activity can be made more enjoyable. We are currently working with the Sports and Exercise Medicine Outpatient Clinic at Hospital Nova.”
The study was funded by a Research Council of Finland project led by University Lecturer Satu Pekkala.
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