Motives for movement
The absence of motivation is a key factor that leads many people to be physically inactive.
ICAN’T seem to get myself moving!” This is a claim made by many people when they are asked why they do not participate in some form of physical activity. What people are talking about is motivation, or rather a lack of it, as far as physical activity is concerned.
Lack of physical activity is one of the biggest risk factors for many major illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and some forms of cancer.
Globally, around 31.8% of those aged 15 years and older do not do enough regular physical activity to garner the important health benefits that result from being active.
In this country, 43.7% of Malaysians are considered to be sedentary.
The absence of motivation is a key factor that leads many people to be physically inactive. Motivation has two aspects, namely energy and direction.
When we are highly motivated, we feel like we have a strong drive (energy) pushing us. That drive pushes us in a particular direction.
Energy and enthusiasm are high when we think about going to watch a new movie (a positive direction), but they sink when we remember the housework that has to be done (a not-so-positive direction!).
This shows how the direction of motivation affects the energy we feel for an activity and determines what we do and what we avoid doing.
We all know some people, who, whether young or old, love doing physical activity; some people organise their lives around their golf or gym visits. Unfortunately, many of us are not active enough to gain health benefits, especially as we get older.
We claim we don’t have enough time, there are no facilities in the locality, it costs too much, or our health stops us. These are the main reasons that people give to researchers, when asked why they are sedentary. With sufficient motivation, however, gaps can be found in the busiest schedule, there is always an area somewhere nearby where we can be active, and many activities cost little or nothing.
For most of us, getting active is precisely what we need to do to improve our health. We need to get motivated to become active.
Researchers have been studying motivation for many years, and those who examine participation in physical activity have identified a number of key factors that influence our motivation to be physically active.
The motive for physical activity that has the strongest support from a large body of research is confidence to perform a specific activity. This is called self-efficacy. It is closely associated with the direction of motivation.
Most of us do not run the marathon because we believe we could never run over 42 kilometers, but older adults, people who have had heart attacks and individuals with artificial lower limbs and in wheelchairs have completed marathons.
It is possible, but most people do not have the confidence or self-efficacy, so they are not motivated to train for such a demanding event.
Nevertheless, pretty much everybody likes to move. Just think how you feel when forced to remain inactive for a considerable time, such as during a long car journey or an aeroplane flight, or if you are confined to bed due to sickness or injury.
The first thing you want to do is move around.
Thus, people do like to move. One secret for starting to become physically active is to find a direction that suits each person. That means a direction for which confidence is relatively high, in other words, something that interests the individual.
For those who have been sedentary, it might be that there is little physical activity they are confident to do. That could be because they set their goals too high by watching people who have been active for some time and think “I can’t do that”.
Researchers who have studied self-efficacy have shown that increasing physical activity is most effective when people set goals that lead to them being successful most of the time (say 70-80%).
At the start, these might involve relatively low levels of activity, but once success is experienced, confidence increases and the goal can be increased. This approach of building confidence, and with it the level of physical activity (called stepwise mastery goal setting), can lead people to attain levels of activity that are health promoting. With confidence, that leads to the activity becoming a chosen direction, leading to the increase in energy
for that activity that is the foundation of lasting motivation.
Another key to encouraging people to start and maintain physical activity is to help them choose something they want to do.
Studies have shown that personal choice leads people to keep doing an activity for longer. Psychologists propose this is because feeling in control of our own behaviour is a basic need we all possess. When people believe they chose to do a particular activity, their motivation for that activity is stronger, and more importantly, they are motivated by the activity, not by what somebody else says or by the thought that it will be good for them.
People who play golf or soccer, trek in the hills, swim or do tai chi because they enjoy that activity will sustain their involvement longer and make more effort than those who do the activity because they are told they should by a health professional or a gym instructor.
Participating because you enjoy the activity is called intrinsic motivation because the intrinsic aspects of the activity drive (motivate) involvement.
Recently, there have been many examples of successful programmes promoting longterm participation in physical activity that have encouraged people to choose their own activity, rather than prescribing specific exercise or sport involvement.
Although personal choice of activity is important for long-term participation, people are also influenced by their understanding of the benefits or costs of their actions.
An approach to behaviour change that pointed this out started some time ago with the goal of helping people to stop smoking. Research showed that many people didn’t know that smoking was associated with many illnesses and premature death, so they had not thought about quitting. This is why we have seen so many advertising campaigns about the damage that smoking can do to health.
Similarly, many people do not realise that physical activity has been shown to promote physical health, protect against some of today’s most problematic diseases, and enhance psychological well-being.
Alerting people to the many benefits of being physically active should encourage them to think more seriously about increasing their participation in physical activity.
It is also not well understood that there is a difference between fitness and health. Some of the fittest people in the world, elite athletes, are particularly prone to pick up infections. Many elite athletes push their bodies to the limits, causing their immune systems to weaken, leading to lower protection against bacteria and viruses. Thus, very fit people can be unhealthy! On the other hand, regular, but not obsessive physical activity helps the physical body and the mind to function more effectively, thus, providing added protection.
Physical activity researchers have shown that increasing people’s knowledge about the physical and psychological benefits of being physically active and the risks of not being active motivates many to become more active.
One more key factor in promoting continued participation in physical activity is having somebody help you. They can do this either by engaging in the activity with you or simply by encouraging you.
Perhaps your partner might drive you to the physical activity venue and collect you afterward. Maybe a friend just asks now and again how you are getting on and is impressed by your progress, which encourages you.
Researchers have investigated the influence of what is called social support, the help others give us in any area of life. What some have termed the “buddy system”, which involves finding somebody to do your chosen physical activity with you, whether it is a family member or somebody whose only connection is the common desire to do that activity, has been shown to be a valuable aid to motivation.
Sometimes, when you don’t feel like doing the activity, knowing the other person is depending on you can be as big a motivator to be active as having them encourage you.
Physical activity certainly plays a key role in maintaining physical heath and psychological well-being. It is also now a core component of the treatment for many of the most prevalent, life-threatening medical conditions.
Exercise also helps people manage the stress associated with many aspects of life and is an effective treatment for depression.
Appreciating the benefits of being active and the risks of inactivity is one important key to becoming more active.
Choosing an activity that interests you is another crucial factor in promoting long-term participation.
Initiating involvement at a level where you will experience success, gain confidence and set stepwise goals is imperative for continued activity. Attracting support from others can sustain and enhance the experience of doing physical activity.
Perhaps the bottom line is that we should all aim to have the best quality of life possible in whatever circumstances we face. What better motivation is there for being physically active than enjoying life to the full?
Do more physical activity, so you don’t just live longer, you live happier!
Prof Tony Morris and Dr Selina Khoo is with University of Malaya’s Malaysian Elderly Longitudinal Research (MELOR) group. This article is contributed by The Star Health & Ageing Panel, which comprises a group of panellists who are not just opinion leaders in their respective fields of medical expertise, but have wide experience in medical health education for the public. The members of the panel include: Datuk Prof Dr Tan Hui Meng, consultant urologist; Dr Yap Piang Kian, consultant endocrinologist; Datuk Dr Azhari Rosman, consultant cardiologist; A/Prof Dr Philip Poi, consultant geriatrician; Dr Hew Fen Lee, consultant endocrinologist; Prof Dr Low Wah Yun, psychologist; Datuk Dr Nor Ashikin Mokhtar, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist; Dr Lee Moon Keen, consultant neurologist; Dr Ting Hoon Chin, consultant dermatologist; Prof Khoo Ee Ming, primary care physician; Dr Ng Soo Chin, consultant haematologist. For more information, e-mail starhealth@thestar.com. my. The Star Health & Ageing Advisory Panel provides this information for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader’s own medical care. The Star Health & Ageing Advisory Panel disclaims any and all liability for injury or other damages that could result from use of the information obtained from this article.