Fifty percent of people who start an exercise programme drop out in the first six months. So how do you get to be part of the 50% who stick it out through those potentially difficult early days?
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Fortunately, scientific research into behaviour modification, the psychology behind regular exercise and what people need to make permanent change, is abundant.
Every day we are provided with new information about how to keep people inspired and motivated. In this way, you will beat the odds and will be part of the “successful” 50% of regular exercisers.
What statistics tell us
Changing behaviour, for example becoming active, is not just about knowing the facts regarding its beneficial effects, otherwise most of us would surely be active. One just needs to consider the situation in USA to put this into perspective.
The following quotation in Time Magazine Oct ’99 by Dr Susan Jepp of the British Medical Research Council (MRC), epitomises the problem:
“It is hard not to be haunted by the example of America, a diet-and exercise crazed land, a pioneer in the fat-free food market, the birthplace of most diet fads, and with a population that grows inexorably fatter. Treating it is an incredibly daunting prospect. But the consequences of leaving it untreated may be more daunting still” (Dr Susan Jebb, British MRC. Time Magazine, Oct 1999)
Yes, from the “availability of information” perspective, one would almost expect America to be the nation with the fittest, leanest and healthiest inhabitants worldwide, and yet unfortunately they top the scales when we look at obesity rankings and incidence of various chronic diseases of lifestyle.
Unfortunately, the situation in South Africa is not much better. Forty percent of our population is classified as obese and one in three men and one in four women will suffer from cardiovascular disease before they reach the age of 60.
By the year 2020, heart disease and then major depression, are predicted to be the top two causes of death in South Africa. Incidentally, inactivity is a major risk factor for both of these diseases, which tells one a great deal.
Modern life
Clearly, factors other than knowledge play a role in determining peoples’ health behaviour and attitude. Yes, modern life is to blame in many respects, as expressed in the following quotation from the book “The American Way of Life Need Not Be Hazardous to your Health” by John Farquhar:
“The growing urbanization and mechanization of modern life have made it easier for us to become physically lazy and sedentary. We drive rather than walk: we take the elevator rather than climb stairs: we push a button on an electric dryer rather than bend down and reach up to hang clothes on a clothesline.”
Therefore, we are faced with the reality that whereas exercise used to be an inevitable part of living, today we have to consciously plan to get the exercise needed to maintain good health.
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