Relations of Self-Motivation, Perceived Physical Condition, and Exercise-Induced Changes in Revitalization and Exhaustion with Attendance in Women Initiating a Moderate Cardiovascular Exercise Regimen

This field investigation tested relationships between personal characteristics, feeling state changes occurring after exercise, and attendance in females (N = 50, Mage = 39 years) initiating a 12-week, 3 days/week cardiovascular, community wellness center-based exercise program. Self-motivation and changes in exercise-induced revitalization demonstrated significant positive correlations with attendance (r = .28 and .31, respectively), while a significant negative correlation of exercise- induced physical exhaustion with attendance (r = -.28) was found. Entry of self-motivation and perceived physical condition into linear multiple regression analyses, along with changes in exercise-induced feelings, accounted for greater amounts of variance in attendance than either the personal characteristics or exercise-induced feeling changes alone. Substitution of an aggregate measure of exercise-induced feeling changes into regression equations further increased the explained variance in attendance to 17% and 19%. Findings suggest that researchers should account for both personal characteristics and exercise-induced feeling changes in developing a comprehensive model of physical activity behavior in women. Replication and implications for treatments intended to increase exercise were discussed.