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Promoting Physical Activity in Women

+Interventions for Women

Interventions

  Exercise Prescription

  Behavioral Modifications

  Personality matching

  Lowing the Barriers of exercise

  Promoting Self-efficacy

  Body image considerations

  Social support

+Exercise Prescription for Women

Studies have indicated for women:  Women prefer moderate intensity

 Duration of exercise needs to be short

 Progressive in nature

 The mode of exercise most preferred by women is walking

Studies have indicated for men:  Men prefer higher intensity PA activities

 Competitive rather than cooperative

 Progression & duration is unknown at this time

+Walking

 Walking is the most popular form of exercise for adult Americans (Segal, 1995).   Because it is safe (Procari, et al., 1988)   Effective (Dishman, 1994)   Simple (Kriska, et. al, 1986)

 Walking at moderate (3-6 METs) can improve one’s health if done on a regular basis and meets CDC guidelines (Fletcher, et al, 1996)

 Walking can be self-regulated by:   Exertional perceptions (RPE)   Without a great levels of physiological strain   More enjoyable

+Behavioral Modification Interventions for Women

  Activity needs to be enjoyable

  Provide choice in the mode of exercise

  Goal setting techniques

  Self-monitoring techniques

  Regular contact with a fitness professional

+Mode Preference (Miller, et.al., 2005)

  Undergraduate females exercised on 5 different pieces of cardiovascular equipment (steppers, treadmill, rower, spinners, & cross-country ski simulator)   Females completed 5 experimental sessions: two with their most

favorite modes of exercise, 2 with their least favorite modes, and a no-exercise control.

  The high preference exercise session produced the greatest positive mood changes and elicited highest level of exercise enjoyment before, during, and 40 minutes past exercise.

  Psychological states will vary as a function of exercise preference resulting in higher adherence levels.*

+Personality

  Women & men who are extraverted and demonstrate conscientious have higher adherence rates in exercise than those that demonstrate neuroticism and/or are less extraverted. (Rhodes, 2006)

  Personality matched interventions are warranted for both women and men who display neuroticism and/or are less extraverted

+Personality Match Interventions & PA

  Less extraverted clients require:   Strategies that strength one’s intention to exercise

  (e.g. gradually progress in intensity to assure success)   Goal setting   Behavioral strategies (e.g. reinforcement, role models)

  Neurotic clients require   Normative based interventions (e.g., involving friends, family)

(Rhodes, 2006)

+Pairing Personality with Activity

Garvin (2004) article in The Physician & Sports Medicine provided fitness professional with means to match one’s personality to an activity .

Matching one’s personality traits to an activity is a tool that can help fitness specialists have a women or men clients reflect on what activities that are best for them.

+Barriers to exercise

  Expected to be the caregiver

  Single moms with children versus divorced fathers

  Lack of social support for women

  Fewer barriers exist for men in our society than women

+Self-Efficacy

  Belief and expectations about how capable one is to perform PA or exercise to achieve an outcome( e.g. low weight, fitness).

  Major determinate of adherence in women

+Sources of Self-efficacy

  Personal accomplishment

  Modeling

  Verbal persuasion

  Physiological states

  Emotional arousal

Promoting one or more of these sources increases one’s efficacy expectations to exercise or be physically active

+Healthy Body Ideal

  Relationship exists between perceived body image and exercise in both genders   Recognition that human bodies naturally come in a wide range of

shapes/sizes and that genetic factors are instrumental in determining one’s weight and shape

  A realistic level of health and fitness for one’s own unique, personal body shape

+Perceptual Measurement

+Body Image Disturbance (BID)

  Inaccurate perceptions of one’s body shape and size; image differs from one’s actual shape/size

  Negative thoughts and feelings about one’s body

  Actions performed to hide or change the body without regard to health implications

Body Dissatisfaction in Adults

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  Correlation is much stronger for women than for men   A woman’s feelings of self-worth are typically more strongly

influenced by her perceived physical attractiveness than those of a man

Are women or men more dissatisfied with their body?

+What do women or men want from their exercise program?

  The problem areas for men are abdomen and overall weight.

  Men want to have more muscle mass, broad, muscular shoulders, toned “six-pack” abdominals, a narrow waist, and muscular legs

  The problematic areas for women are abdomen, hips, thighs, and overall weight

  Females want ultra-thin, shapely, toned, and firm body

+Why Is Body Image Important?

  Healthy body image is related to better psychological well-being in two ways:   Better self-esteem

  Lowered risk for depression and anxiety

  Healthy body image is related to:   Type of exercise

  Adherence levels

+ Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

 An extreme case of body dissatisfaction

 Excessive preoccupation with some aspect of one’s physical appearance

 Obsessive-compulsive activities (e.g., constantly weighing oneself)

 Muscle dysmorphia:   Preoccupation with muscularity   Fear of being muscularly small is estimated at 9% of the male

population (Olivardia, 2001) or 1-2 % of the population (Phillips & Dufresne, 2000)

  Anxiety and dissatisfaction with muscles   Steroid use and excessive work out routines   Avoids social gathering

+ Social Physique Anxiety

Anxiety arises over concerns with self-presentation of the body Self Presentation: The attempt by an individual to

present one-self and to omit self-relevant information to maximize the likelihood that positive social impression will be generated and undesired impression will be avoided.

Usually affects women more than men.

+ Mechanisms by Which Exercise Might Improve Body Image

+Body Image & Exercise

Findings

-Exercise training can lead to significant improvements in body image of women (Martin & Lichtenberger, 2002) and men

-Both aerobic and weight training improved body image with weight training having the greatest impact.

- Exercisers frequently report bing dissatisfied with their weight

-Exercise participation motives for men and women are to lose weight and increase muscle (Rodger & Gauvin, 1994)

-Active women evaluated their physical appearance higher than inactive women

+ Physical Activity and Anxiety About the Body

Social Physique Anxiety (SPA)  Women who possess high SPA view their

physical appearance more negatively  Women with high SPA individuals often

exercise for self-presentation reasons (e.g. Weight loss, to improve appearance, and body tone)

 Women low in SPA were more likely to exercise for the purpose of fitness, mood enhancement, & health.

 Men have lower SPA levels as compared to women

+Chain Reaction

  Individual attempts to present themselves

  The individual doubts that he or she will be able to generate a positive impression because of their physical appearance

  Social Physique Anxiety results

+Physical Activity and SPA

 Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce SPA  Women with high SPA stand in back and wear baggy

clothing in aerobic classes ( Brewer, et al, 2004)  Women being in groups with people one perceives as

similar physically also reduces SPA.  Females experience less SPA in group aerobic and

weight training classes)   Instructors who lead classes primarily for self-

presentation (e.g. an instructor who wants to show you that they are a better than you) have been found to possess a high SPA.

  Instructor who lead classes primarily for leadership (e.g. sensitive to client’s level) opportunities possess a low SPA

+Exercise Recommendations specific to body image   People who enjoy their workouts show the big exercise related

improvements in their body image.

  Exercise needs to be moderate to high to produce the greatest changes in body image (could be problem for women).

  Monitor progress of strength and aerobic ability throughout your program rather than body composition (e.g., testing, logs).

  Fitness instructors should encourage clients to wear loose-fitted, comfortable exercise attire.

  Media promotion materials of classes or exercise campaigns should show a wide range of body shapes, sizes, and physical abilities.

  Exercise programs should focus on improving physical function, strength, and endurance rather than on changing body composition.

+Social support

  Group activities promotes higher levels of vigorous exercise in women.

  Men perceive and prefer solitary exercise than group activities to promote higher levels of exercise.

  Social support is a more influential factor in the initiation stage of an activity, especially for men.

  Perceived social support by a spouse or significant other is another key determinate in women adhering to exercise

+Summary

  Offer low to moderate activities for women and higher more vigorous activities for men

  Offer both mixed and women only classes

  Duration of exercise should be short rather than long

  Promote self-efficacy by developing a easy to difficult program to promote successful experiences, especially for women.

  Provide social support by enlisting the spouse or significant other in exercise.

  Exercise leader need to be socially enriching

  Develop a program that included aerobic activities but emphasizes weight training

  Engage men and women in behavioral interventions that promotes adherence such as goal setting, keeping a log, etc.

  Be aware of SPA tendencies in women.