Competing personal goals and exercise behaviour.

Research on the determinants of exercise behaviour has not assessed the role of personal goals which may be in conflict with exercising. A cross-sectional study showed that 312 nonexercisers, 466 people who exercised once or twice a week, and 202 people who exercised at the norm of at least three times a week differed significantly with respect to the number of important personal goals expected to be hampered by exercising at the norm. To be specific, the number of competing activities in the home was higher for the sedentary group than for those who exercised. Further, those who exercised at the norm reported fewer competing social activities than all other subjects and fewer competing self-developmental activities than the non-exercisers. Scores on the scale for activities outside the home did not differ significantly among the three groups. It is argued that any theoretical model of exercise behaviour should take into account the influence of competing personal goals on the initiation and continuation of exercise during leisure time.