Sticking With It--the Toughest Exercise
Starting an exercise program is the easy part. Staying faithful is the impossible dream, at least for the 66% of Americans who don’t work out regularly.
But researchers have some new clues about how to nudge dropouts off the couch and keep them moving. It’s timely information, because the American Heart Assn. declared this summer that lack of exercise is a major risk factor for heart disease, right up there with smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
There’s no pat answer for how everyone can get moving and stay moving, but here’s a roundup of recent findings:
* Men and women are often motivated to begin an exercise program by entirely different factors.
“Women are more likely to adopt an exercise program if they have a lot of friend and family support,” says James Sallis, a San Diego State University professor of psychology who studied a sample of 1,719 men and women to analyze their motivations for exercise. Such social support might come in the form of verbal encouragement from a partner, he says, or from a workout partner.
“For women, the social aspects of exercise are the most important,” reports Sallis, whose study was published earlier this year in the journal Preventive Medicine.
“For men, the story is completely different,” Sallis says. “None of the social factors were important.” Men were most motivated by a “favorable environment” in which to exercise, Sallis says. For some, that meant exercising on home equipment because they could avoid the hassle of driving to a health club or waiting in line for classes or weight machines. For others, it meant living in a neighborhood that was pleasant and safe for exercise.
Those findings make sense to two local long-term exercisers.
Nina Steiner, a West Hollywood free-lance producer, says she is drawn to early morning workouts at a nearby health club partly because of the companionship of other early birds. But Dr. William Evangelatos, a retired physician, often picks a workout time at the Los Angeles Athletic Club when he suspects attendance will be sparse. “I know the equipment will be available,” he says, “and I can get through the workout without interruptions.”
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When it comes to staying faithful to an exercise program, men seem to have an easier time, says Sachiko St. Jeor, professor and director of nutrition education and research at the University of Nevada School of Medicine.
In general, she finds, men are more committed to exercise. She bases the comments on observations from the 500 subjects enrolled in her RENO Heart Study, an ongoing analysis of diet and exercise habits. Men who are trying to lose weight cite exercise as the most important strategy, she finds, while women trying to lose weight rely on diet programs first and exercise second.
Whichever your gender, there are ways to increase the odds that you’ll keep exercising, other research suggests.
* Exercisers who are confident in their ability to perform the workout they choose tend to be more faithful, says Sallis. While that might sound like common sense, he and other experts say it is an oft-overlooked component.
Becoming familiar with the workout equipment seems especially important to ensure faithfulness, says Joyce Furlough, director of product development for a senior exercise and wellness program for Secure Horizons, a senior health maintenance organization. Before seniors enrolled in the program begin exercising, Furlough says, they get a thorough education in such computerized equipment as exercise bicycles. “Explaining the computerized equipment takes away the intimidation factor,” she says, “and seems to increase adherence.”
* Contracts and rewards boost adherence, especially when used in a group program or a work site program.
In a Michigan State University study, exercisers who knew they would lose a $40 deposit were five times as likely to be faithful to exercise as those who didn’t face a cash loss for dropping out, says Jon Robison, an exercise physiologist and director of the study, reported recently in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. While 97% of the group facing the fine exercised regularly, only 19% of the comparison group did.
Although the concept of contracts or rewards is perhaps best tailored to work-site programs, Robison says it could work on an individual basis as well.
“You could bet with someone--your husband, your wife, even yourself,” he says. “Or, if you exercise every week, award yourself points and then buy something or do something for yourself. Take a week off to fish; buy new clothes.”
* Home-based programs might work as well, or even better, than group programs, especially for older people.
In a study at Stanford University, researcher Abby King and her colleagues tracked 357 exercisers, ages 50 to 65. At one-year follow-up, those who exercised at home were more faithful than those assigned to the group exercise program.
“Statistics show two-thirds of us have trouble going to (exercise) class on a regular basis,” says King, an assistant professor of medicine and health research and policy. But her home-based exercisers weren’t entirely on their own. They received instruction before beginning the program and were contacted by researchers for progress reports about 15 times during the year.
Exercisers who want to try a home-based plan might get the same encouragement from a family member or friend. “Make a contract with a family member or co-worker, someone to prompt you,” King suggests. “It doesn’t have to be someone who is doing the program with you. Just knowing there is someone who cares about your exercise (can help).”
* Recognizing the warning signs of relapse can help exercisers stay faithful.
Even dedicated exercisers relapse, Sallis has found in his research. To reduce the odds, he tells exercisers to recognize the warning signs and take action. When you hear yourself saying, “This isn’t fun,” he tells exercisers: “quickly find a way to make it fun again.”
Reducing the risk of injury can reduce the risk of relapse, Sallis says. Wearing proper shoes and performing warm-ups are two ways to reduce injury. “The No. 1 reason for relapse is injury,” Sallis found in his research, “even though people often claim it is time pressure.”
* Personality type doesn’t seem to affect exercise adherence.
A common assumption is that hard-driving Type A’s--who can be compulsive about exercise and other obligations--are more likely to exercise than more mellow personality types. “But there’s no real link between personality type and exercise,” Sallis says. “People tend to look for internal reasons (like personality) for their behavior. But when it comes to exercise, it is probably external factors that are more important.”
* Your stage of “readiness” can improve your odds of adherence.
There is a growing consensus, Robison says, that people should not attempt to begin an exercise program until they are truly ready to commit--much as some experts now say people should wait until they are truly ready to lose weight or give up addictions before making the effort.
