As a response to the rising obesity rates, the media has recently been making more efforts to promote exercise and fitness to encourage healthy lifestyles. Whether it’s a commercial on the radio or a talk show on T.V., we never stop hearing doctors, celebrity icons, and fitness experts talk about the benefits exercise has for both the mind and body. However, for decades research has shown that a solid 40% of Americans never exercise, as reported in the article “Updating the Message to Get Americans Moving.”
Why is it then that people are still not taking the initiative to work out? Why is it so difficult for Americans to find the drive to get moving, knowing it will make them feel better, happier, and more energetic?
The NY times article suggests that the reason is routed in the way fitness messages are delivered; they are taken to heart by people who already enjoy exercise, but go over the heads of people who don’t know how to exercise. Simply telling sedentary people that jogging 20 minutes a day will make them feel good isn’t going to make them stop being a couch potato, and advertisements for intense fitness programs are clearly not any more motivating.
Princeton psychologist Daniel Kahneman’s research has found that people only remember the parts of their workout that made them feel best, which are the climax, when the endorphin production is at its peak, and the end, when it’s all over. Because everyone is at different fitness levels, it’s impossible to just give people an exercise prescription and expect them to stick with it. Doctors such as Dr. Ekkekakis are therefore suggesting that the key to motivating Americans to get active is to help them find the intensity level that makes them feel best, rather than just telling them to do a certain exercise.
What do you think: what’s wrong with the media’s fitness messages and why aren’t they getting across to Americans? If people knew the level at which they get that “runner’s high” feeling, would they be more enthusiastic about working out? How do you find the motivation to exercise?
I think that this makes sense. I know that I don't like playing sports at all, I would rather dance or cheer than toss a ball around. I've know this for a long time which is why I tend to exercise based on what I like. I enjoy yoga, zumba, and dance rather than running or lifting weights. Some people on the other hand, would rather spend a few hours a week at the gym. When people think of fitness and exercise, I think most of them get that classic gym picture in their mind, and for those of us who don't enjoy that, we tend not to exercise. I think the key to promote exercise and fitness is to appeal to people's likes and interests. You almost have to sell exercise like an advertisement today because life is so fast passed and there are so many other things a person can do instead of exercising.
ReplyDeleteI understand that it is very important to promote fitness especially with America's high obesity rate, but I think that in fitness commercials all the characters are young and fit. So some people may feel inferior to the point where they don't feel like trying because they don't look like the women in the picture above. I also think that commercials should promote more relaxing fitness like yoga or pilates, and some commercial do. Also, commercials show people finding enjoyment in dancing or doing Zumba which can help encourage people to go out and take a class.
ReplyDeleteBut still in those commercials all the people are fit and thin, I think the commercials should show more realistically sized people. In promoting fitness, commercials should encourage people with group classes in which you can bring friends this way people will enjoy the class more, especially teenage girls. In order to get people off the couch, the media must show the enjoyment of exercise rather than the blood, sweat and tears; which becomes a turn off.
I definitely think Jackie is right about fitness commercials being somewhat discouraging. There seems like no point in trying to exercise when all of the people in these commercials are in the best shape of their lives. Most Americans are over weight, and looking to these fitness gods does not make for encouragement.
ReplyDeletePersonally, when I go to the gym, I practically have to drag myself to the door, however near the end of my workout or right after, I hit that runner's high. That's the reason why I keep going to the gym; even though it's terrible at first, I know that I'm going to feel good later. I think that is why most people struggle to get motivated. They only think about the initial sluggishness and pain of the workout. They need to find their own personal starting point and not just jump into an intense workout.
When it comes to fitness, I feel as though people become easily discouraged and expect instant results. For example, if you do 30 crunches before you go to sleep, you expect to wake up with a six pack? No wonder why people don't exercise! They see it as being completely ineffective before they even give it a chance. I feel as though a huge dilemma is that there's not enough time in the day to workout - people feel as though there are more important things. Personally speaking, I do not have time to drive to the gym every day with all of my extracurricular activities, homework, and just with the way life runs in general. I feel as though a better way of advertising would be to emphasize physical activity that can be done at home. I run every other day and it serves as a win-win for me in that I get exercise and it serves as a stress reliever. When I finish a run, I cool down, maybe throw in an ab circuit, some push ups, and I call it a day, and that's just fine! You don't NEED to go to the gym and use every crazy machine under the sun to get in shape and stay in shape. There are plenty of exercises people can do at home but that's not what gets advertising. It just depends what works for people. Fitness needs to be advertised as being more customized rather than a cut and dry definition of working out. Like Katlyn said, she prefers to dance. However, if someone told ME the only way to stay in shape was to dance, you'd better believe that I would never workout. Finally, based on what Ashley said, of course it is going to be discouraging to jump right into an intense workout and not be able to complete it. Getting into shape takes time and patience and people need to understand that before they hit the gym.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that America focuses too much on people that already work out. It is most likely to find a fitness advertisement's in healthy stores or gyms. I think that sometimes it is hard to motivate to work out. Once I start to work out, I feel good about it and want to continue working out. I think that if people were required to work out for their job or school, they would begin to enjoy working out. I am motivated to exercise when I am angry or stressed. I think it is a good way to get my mind off of my problems.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that the way fitness is portrayed in the media is counter productive but also think that the media can focus too much on immediate results. On certain TV channels, every other commercial is advertising some fat-burning drug that guarantees results in a few weeks or the fitness shows that take place over the course of a few weeks (and when the contestants return home, they often are unable to keep up the vigor of the exercise that they did on the show and return to being overweight), when in reality it takes dedication and hard work in order to become physically fit and remain so. I think that if people knew that exercise can be enjoyable when they did something they liked and brought them to a "natural high," they probably would be a little more motivated to work out. For example, I hate running (on a treadmill or otherwise), but enjoy doing Zumba and the stationary bike and feel invigorated after I do them. I find the motivation to exercise when I feel stressed or need to let off steam.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the media is probably taking the wrong approach in motivating people to exercise. If I’m sitting on my couch eating a bag of chips and a commercial comes on telling me to go run I would probably just laugh at how lazy I was and continue watching TV. It is hard to motivate a crowd; everyone gets motivated in their own way. I disagree that they shouldn’t show fit people in those ads. Seeing someone who is fit will motivate me to work out more because it will convince me to get up and do something to try to look like that. Another way I find motivation is by getting a new shirt or pair of pants to work out in. Going to the gym is then just an excuse to wear my new outfit…and there’s an added bonus of exercising to it. In regard to the runner’s high feeling I personally have never hit it…could be why I hate running so much. However, I get a feeling that can relate to it after I finish a yoga class. It motivates me to go back or keep working out. Before the class I won’t even think of getting on a machine but after I have more energy and actually want to work out. I believe that people need to get in this mind set in order to enjoy exercising and not make it a chore.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marisa when she said that America focuses more on people who already work out. I personally love to work out. When I first heard about that work out video called Insanity, I was so eager to try it. The commercials about how crazy the work outs were and how they made the people feel afterwards made me excited to test it out for myself. However, my sister who absolutely hates working out saw the same commercials and said "Who in their right mind would ever want to do that!?" This shows how much advertisements are geared more towards people who enjoy working out.
ReplyDeletePeople need to find a way to make advertisements appeal to people who don't usually work out. I am convinced that most people who do not work out or say they do not like to work out have never really worked out before. They have probably had to run a little bit in gym class or have had to walk around a lot and did not like either of those. However, they probably have never reached a point where they had "runner's high". Exercising makes you feel refreshed and healthy. If people would just give exercising a chance, I am sure many would stick with it.
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ReplyDeleteI think there are many things wrong and skewed with the media's fitness images. The first one being what people who DO work out tend to look like. You would never see a short, stout, but muscular woman advertising a new exercise regime- although I'm positive she could crush my thinner, hardly muscular frame at any exercise program. People tend to think that because they have begun workout out and didn't walk out looking like Jillian Michaels a week later, it must not be working and is therefore a waste of time. People have the same problem with dieting- if you don’t give it a real chance for at least a few months, you have no right to complain. The US Olympic team doesn't just wake up looking like that either! NO human is exempt from the necessity of having to work towards fitness. The first step is always the hardest, simply getting yourself to say, "I will work out." Once you get to that gym and START, it's all so much easier! My personal motivation to exercise honestly comes from being extremely strong-minded, which, if you don't have that same tough-guy attitude with yourself, could possibly hinder your motivation. I just give myself habitual reality checks. I think, you know you're not going to look the way you want if you skip the gym AGAIN, so in an effort to not disappoint myself, I go! I often go the gym instead of napping. It sounds crazy, but that "runner's high" can really last, sometimes all the way through a night of studying for me. I just personally feel that the discipline that comes with physical exertion also has endless psychological benefits as well. I did not always love to run, but if I can get to a point where I look forward to my three miles a day, anyone can. The motivation just needs to come from within.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Yianna that the motivation has to come from within. Although advertisements might help me to initially start exercising, I don't really think it would motivate me to continually stick with it. Advertisements might make exercising seem beneficial and even appealing, but once you start exercising you will quickly realize it is not really enjoyable or easy. I think the only way to really be consistent with exercise is to get in a routine. I know for me,if I miss a day of running I feel really out of sorts and it's harder to stay focused. It's become something that I miss if I don't do it, and I don't even really think about whether or not I should go for a run. I don't necessarily agree that we only remember the best parts of our workout though, I definitely remember the times where I feel terrible pretty distinctly, too.
ReplyDeleteThe media's view, in my opinion, focuses too much on the "quick transformation" that fitness can involve, rather than on the long-lasting life benefits. When an overweight man is watching television, and the super-ripped trainer of Insanity appears on his screen, he is likely to be discouraged, that there is never any chance he will look like that. Or in another case, he could be inspired--but this motivation could be quickly lost if he does not see results quickly enough. This is why many people opt for the magical diet pills and slim shakes advertised on television. These ads show miraculously easy transformations of overweight people into personal trainers. As Yiana noted, there are other benefits to running, like the endorphin high that can keep you motivated throughout the day.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there are more magazines now focusing on fitness, only the people who exercise are likely to pick these up. Those who don't exercise may read "People" or other general magazines, which focus on quick diets--the cleanses of celebrities are frequently focused. In my opinion, in order to create a more active American population, there needs to be a bigger focus on exercise to get fit, not to lose weight.
I completely agree with Katlyn. I think you need to find activities that you enjoy. Like Kasey said, people become discouraged easily when they don't see themselves getting into better shape, but if you encourage people to get involved in things they will have fun doing, rather than the image of someone running on a treadmill staring at a wall in a gym, they will feel more inclined to get active.
ReplyDeleteFor example, my Dad is almost 53 years old. He cannot do the same exercises he did when he was on the football team in high school because of shoulder injuries and a bad knee, but he and other men from our area have fun playing in the men's softball league. He enjoys the activity and stays in shape at the same time, but it is also at a pace that is right for him. I think that by encouraging people to get involved in activities like this, that they enjoy and are physically able to handle, we will become healthier people.
I agree with Christina in that the media focuses too much on the quickest way to loose weight and the health benefits seem to only be a side note. Most advertisements headlines are about losing 20 pounds in 2 weeks. People are lured in by the possibility of losing weight in such a short amount of time, and are disappointed and discouraged when it does not happen in the advertised 2 weeks. They were inspired by the ripped man on the commercial, but now see this person as unrealistic unreachable goal. I think that the media's focus on immediate results in a major flaw. I also agree with many of the other girls who have said that advertisements are directed towards people who are already physically active. I think that over weight people who see commercials for zumba classes the insanity work out tape will see this as something they will never be able to do. I have done the insanity tape, and even as a very physically active teenager it was a huge challenge for me complete. I don't think that most over weight people would be able to do such a rigorous and intense work out. As some of the other girls have said we need to put more of an emphasis on finding an exercise that appeals to their personal like and interests.
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