College Students Physical Activity final version

8/13/2019 College Students Physical Activity final version

1/8

Harper 1

Andrew Harper II

English 1102

Malcolm Campbell

September 23, 2013

College Students Motivation to workout

As most college students have trouble balancing school and work, exercise may be the

last thing most college students are worried about. Research shows that physical activity

decreases for students who transition from high school to college. It is my goal to discover and

explore why some college students are motivated to work out and others are not. What

separates these groups? Also, how can you teach this motivation?

Many people have different things that motivate them to work out. According to the

article College Students Motivation for Physical Activity, men and women usually have

different motives. Men are more physical and have more pride and bigger egos, which results in

guys competing to see who can build bigger muscles. Women usually lean toward the more

internal side. Tables in this article indicates that men are usually motivated to exercise because

of challenge, competition, and for strength and endurance. However, women are motivated to

exercise because of appearance, stress management, and weight management. Most people

can say that women are more concerned with their weight way more than men are. Studies

show that women use exercise as a form of relief. In College Student motivation for physical

activity,female college students tended to score higher when it came to emotional reasons

like revitalization.


2/8

Harper 2

It is evident by research that most people who work out in college are mainly in

organized sports. As a player of a sport, you are obligated to work out almost every day. Sport

participants have a different type of motivation than those who are regular exercise

participants. As a former sport participant, I can honestly say that sports will make exercise

over and beyond than what a normal person would do. When I played football in High School I

worked out around six days per week. As a defensive end, I knew I had to be as strong and

explosive as possible. Since strength was my main goal I focused a lot on my upper body

exercises which consisted of bench press and curls. For my explosion exercises, I did power

cleans and squats which developed my lower body. Now I consider myself to be an exercise

participant rather than a sports participant. I no longer workout for just explosiveness and

upper body strength. When I work out, I focus more on my appearance. I do anything from

kickboxing, to running, to lifting weights. My goals now are to be attractive, toned, and healthy.

In my opinion, a factor that plays a big role in being motivated to workout is your

environment. If all of your friends have six packs, it will probably motivate you to do more

abdominal exercises. Motivation can be stimulated physically, mentally, and visually. There are

multiple networks that supply videos that are made to get you motivated for exercise, along

with other activities. An example would be the Nike Just Do It commercials. Studies show that

what a person sees visually does effect ones subconscious mind. Businesses use this factor to

sell products for their companies. Subliminal messaging in commercials are key motivators to

buy the products being shown. The same idea can be used for exercise. On the mental side of

things, exercise is seen as a positive outlet for the mind. People are usually motivated to

exercise because it helps them clear their head. Exercising is one of the biggest stress relievers,


3/8


4/8

Harper 4

more neurons than the other mouse. A cognitive test was given, both mice were placed in a

maze and the mouse who ran the wheel regularly finished the maze first.

Three professors from the University of California, Irvine Institute for brain aging and

Dementia covered how exercise stimulates the brain in an article titled, Exercisebuilds brain

heath: key roles of growth factor cascades and inflammation. These professors were Carl W.

Cottman, Nicole C. Berchtold, and Lorie-Ann Christie. Cross-sectional studies indicate that

physical activity reduces risk of Alzheimers disease, Huntingtons disease, and Parkinsons

disease (Cottman, Berchtold, Christie). It is essential that college students workout every day to

prevent these horrible diseases.

Exercise Enhances Memory

The hippocampus is the part of the brain that controls memory, retention, and formation of

the brain. In most adults the hippocampus shrinks in their late 20s. It is evident by research

that elderly adults who did simple physical activities such as walking, jogging, cooking, and

gardening were less likely to have memory loss and crumbling vocabulary like their peers. A

group of senior citizens were randomly assigned to a stretching program or a walking program

for a year. After the year was over, the stretching groups brains were scanned, and their

hippocampuses had shrunken according to normal expectations. In the walking group,

however, the hippocampus had grown. For college students, the implication is clear: regular

exercise could benefit the parts of your brain that help you recall information. (5 reasons)

Exercise for better focus and concentration


5/8

Harper 5

In 2009, a study took place in a Canadian school for children with ADHD and learning

disabilities. The students were instructed to exercise for 20 minutes before math class. The

teachers noticed that the focus and concentration of these students were improving. Exercise

increases oxygen to the brain and it also increases brain neurotransmitters. Physical activity

goes way beyond improving grades in school. "The healthy, physically active child is more likely

to be academically motivated, alert, and successful," agrees Karen McGahey, principal of Grant

School in Petaluma.

Mood Booster

Exercise helps the emotional balance in the brain. Based on my observation most of my

college peers hit the gym when something is bothering them. Many people know that exercise

relieves the mind. It is proven that when you are depressed or in a bad mood, exercise can

change that to happiness.After a workout the body leaves chemicals that will make you

happier and more relaxed. The physical proof of exercise will leave you confident and proud of

the physical obstacles you have overcome. Stress is relieved when a person is physically active

daily. It is also proven that exercise makes sleep a whole lot easier at night.

Energy Booster

Exercise delivers oxygen and many nutrients to your muscle tissues and assist your

cardiovascular system to work better. When your heart and your lungs are working better, you

have more energy to take on your daily task, such as work, studying, and chores.

Unfortunately there is no scientific proof or research that tells us that motivation

to exercise can be taught. Motivation stems from stimulation (Adams) However, there are a


6/8


7/8

Harper 7

roles of growth factor cascades and inflammation."www.trends.com. University of

California, Irvine Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia. Web. 28 Oct 2013. Warner Jennifer,

Landry, Greg, and Greg Landry. "Top 10 reasons to exercise in the Morning." boxingscene.com.

N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec 2013.

Adams, B.. "Helping Students Become Motivated Learners."http://www.ndt-ed.org/. N.p., n.d.

Web. 5 Dec 2013.


8/8

Documents

College Students Physical Activity final version