In our study, we saw the largest in-
creases in integrated regulations (exer- cise aligns with my other core values) and intrinsic regulations (I truly love to exercise). It stands to reason that our fitness centre members were al- ready more intrinsically motivated to exercise. And yet, as we know, not ev- eryone who purchases a membership uses it. Most studies on motivation and ex-
ercise adoption focus on beginners and how to get them to start exercising. And there, the answer is clear: Educate them constantly about the benefits, give them choices and support them along the way. What isn’t as clear is how to motivate the inconsistent exer- ciser to exercise enough to get results. Fitness professionals need to under-
stand that what we do impacts how people travel along this motivation continuum. In the case of the weight loss challenge, it reinforced that exer- cising regularly was consistent with the participant’s core values. Did they learn that the energy from the exercise translated into greater clarity and pro- ductivity at work or that it improved their ability to parent well? We’re not sure because we didn’t measure this. For now, we are happy to know that
motivation was positively affected. Although participants’ weight loss was not sustained, their already high phys- ical activity levels were sustained and we know that in the long run this will benefit them the most. More research on this topic is clear-
ly needed. In the meantime, here are a few tweaks I recommend to help you run the best possible challenge:
1. Measure more than just weight
loss as an outcome. Not everyone re- sponds to exercise with weight loss, but everyone gets healthier. Consider measuring other key outcomes, like blood pressure or cholesterol levels. Make the challenge more health fo- cused than weight focused.
2. Lengthen the time frame.
Behaviour change research shows that participants are more motivated while in the challenge with motivation wan- ing slowly afterward. Twelve weeks isn’t going to change a lifetime of poor behaviours, so perhaps longer chal- lenges can more positively impact sus- tainable change.
3. If you stay with a weight loss
focus, qualify people for your chal- lenge. Twenty-two percent of our participants had BMI classifications of normal. Limiting weight loss chal- lenges to people who truly need to lose weight would discourage unnecessary restrictive behaviours which could prevent disordered behaviours and po- tential future weight gain. FBC
Currently teaching in the human kinetics pro- gram at Okanagan College, Louise Blais has worked in the fitness industry in a variety of capacities for the last 32 years. As the founder and creator of Wellness Speaks, Louise thrives on sharing her expertise to educate, motivate and inspire greater wellbeing in others. If you don’t bump into her biking, hiking or skiing the endless trails in her new province of B.C., you can also find her at
www.wellnessspeaks.ca.
Atlantis
Designing and producing the best-
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atlantisstrength.com Feel The Strength July/August 2014 Fitness Business Canada 35
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