L18 - Exercise Motivation Part 4

• Social Support 

  • The people in our social networks can influence how we think & feel about exercise & our actual behaviour 
  • Social support is key to motivation at all stages of PA 
  • Comfort, care, assistance & information provided by others 
  • Psychological need of relatedness
  • Different to social pressure (controlling)
  • Who provides it? 
  • What do they provide?

  
• Social Support 

  • Comfort, care, assistance & information provided by others 
  • Rather than people telling you what to do (social pressure)
  • Standing next to people rather than above them
  • Psychological need of relatedness
  • 1 of 3 psych needs - sense of connection to people around you, to be more autonomously motivated 
  • Different to social pressure (controlling)

  
• Social Support 

  • Who provides it? 
  • Health professionals 
  • Fellow exercisers 
  • What do they provide?
  • Can influence peer groups (create social environments for good motivation)
  • Types of social support

  
• Type of Social Support 

  • Practical assistance 
  • Expression of encouragement, care, empathy
  • Directions, advice, suggestions on exercising 
  • Info used to gauge progress & bolster confidence
  • Type of support provided is more important than the amount of support you have, ie quality over quantity 
  • The most effective type of support depends on exerciser’s needs at the time 
• Type of Social Support 

  • Practical assistance 
  • Physical assistance
  • Expression of encouragement, care, empathy
  • Sometimes don’t share same experience, but step into their shoes (empathy) 
  • Directions, advice, suggestions on exercising 
  • How frame these are important 
  • Help guide, rather than control
• Type of Social Support 

  • Info used to gauge progress & bolster confidence
  • Show them what they are achieving 
  • Type of support provided is more important than the amount of support you have, i.e quality over quantity 
  • The most effective type of support depends on exerciser’s needs at the time 
  • Can change at different times 
  • All about listening to your client & what they need
• Initiating Exercise Intention: Doing It - Self-Efficacy: From Motivation to Violation

  • Motivation to start exercising comes from having self-efficacy
  • Self-efficacy = Perceived ability to achieve a particular outcome (ie be successful)
  • Psychological need of competence
  • Supports confidence & motivation 
  • Task self-efficacy = The confidence to perform the elemental aspects of a task 
  • Self-regulatory self-efficacy = The confidence to schedule exercise, stick to exercise plans & overcome barriers 
• Initiating Exercise Intention: Doing It - Self-Efficacy: From Motivation to Violation

  • Motivation to start exercising comes from having self-efficacy
  • Self-efficacy = Perceived ability to achieve a particular outcome (ie be successful)
  • Psychological need of competence
  • Very strong relation bw/ change in self-efficacy & change in PA (r = 0.71) & PA maintenance 
  • Supports confidence & motivation 
  • Making them feel like they can do what’s in front of them 
  • 4 ways of increasing self-efficacy…
  • Can be applied to other areas
• Initiating Exercise Intention: Doing It - Self-Efficacy: From Motivation to Violation

  • Task self-efficacy = The confidence to perform the elemental aspects of a task 
  • eg walking for 20 min at moderate intensity 
  • Confidence in ability of what’s in front of them 
  • Can measure 
  • Relates to task mastery 
  • Self-regulatory self-efficacy = The confidence to schedule exercise, stick to exercise plans & overcome barriers 
  • Regulate own behaviour 
  • Capacity to follow thru w/ your plan
• Building Self-Efficacy

  1. Recall previous achievements
  2. Set appropriate goals
  3. Provide ongoing feedback
  4. Provide role models
• Building Self-Efficacy - 1) Recall previous achievements

  • Contemplate & reflect 
  • What have you achieved in the past?
  • Find similarities bw/ previous & target achievements 
  • Are these achievements transferable?
  • If PA achievement is much stronger to help self-efficacy, but other things can still be transferable (to help self-efficacy)
  • Less similar the weaker that relationship gets
  • If they think of a PA achievement - any time they’ve overcome challenges to stuck to another behaviour (self-regulatory self-efficacy) might be transferable
• Building Self-Efficacy - 2. Set appropriate goals

  • Collaborate to set goals that align w/ their values 
  • Goals that offer optimal challenge & mastery experiences will offer biggest increases in self-efficacy (task self-efficacy)
  • Continue to build on goals - evaluate & revise (SMARTER)
  • Record & celebrate achievements, & connect them to meaning 
  • eg How has this achievement changed your life?

  
• Building Self-Efficacy - 2. Set appropriate goals

  • Collaborate to set goals that align w/ their values 
  • What matters to them 
  • If don’t align, is mix match, motivation go away, behaviour change not effective
  • Goals that offer optimal challenge & mastery experiences will offer biggest increases in self-efficacy (task self-efficacy)
  • Goldilocks goals 
  • If too high, motivation may go - but still want room for self-development
  • Have big goals more distal (long term) - need smaller win (proximal) along way (short term) to help support motivation & confidence to distal goals

  
• Building Self-Efficacy - 2. Set appropriate goals

  • Continue to build on goals - evaluate & revise (SMARTER)
  • SMART goals 
  • ER = evaluate & revise 
  • SMART goals that you can come back to - to change & improve 
  • Don’t known capacity until start meeting them; change & modify them 
  • Record & celebrate achievements, & connect them to meaning 
  • eg How has this achievement changed your life?
  • Confidence boost w/ celebrating achievements

  
• Building Self-Efficacy - 3. Provide ongoing feedback

  • Offer positive & specific feedback on achieving outcomes 
  • Cultivate a social environment that offers positive, constructive & supportive feedbacks
  • Encourage self-affirmations - provide self-statements that remind client that they can do it
  • Fits into celebrating & recording achievements
• Building Self-Efficacy - 3. Provide ongoing feedback

  • Offer positive & specific feedback on achieving outcomes 
  • Keep as positive as possible or constructive 
  • Being a cheerleader for them performing them the 1st time
  • Cultivate a social environment that offers positive, constructive & supportive feedbacks
  • eg Rules in how support other people 
  • Avoid class members proving social pressure
  • Encourage self-affirmations - provide self-statements that remind client that they can do it 
  • Self positive feedback works, esp for new exercisers (think about self in positive light)
• Building Self-Efficacy - 4. Provide role models

  • Improving self-efficacy through vicarious experiences
  • Find & highlight successes of people that are similar
  • The more similar to the new exercises the better 
  • Create exercise groups w/ similar people?
  • Showing role models help get them moving (increase self-efficacy)
• Building Self-Efficacy - 4. Provide role models

  • Improving self-efficacy through vicarious experiences
  • Vicarious = something that is happening to someone else but you learn from it 
  • Find & highlight successes of people that are similar
  • eg Weight loss journeys, running, playing a sport 
  • If they can do it, I can do it 
  • People that look like them 
• Building Self-Efficacy - 4. Provide role models

  • The more similar to the new exercises the better 
  • eg Gender, ethnicity, any other characteristic that they identify with 
  • Who they can relate to 
  • eg could be around same age or being overweight 
  • Showing role models help get them moving (increase self-efficacy)
• Building Self-Efficacy - 4. Provide role models

  • Create exercise groups w/ similar people?
  • Is important to have exercise groups w/ similar people 
  • But also people w/ specific needs, can be quite stigmatising as well 
  • Becomes a specific (eg ”crazy”) group 
  • Not isolating those people is important - important there is a balance 
  • Be aware of impacts of having separate groups as well 
  • Talk to client - how they feel & if it helps their identity (or they would rather be integrated w/ others)
• Making Exercise a Priority 

  • Help to create action plans that specify when, how & where behaviour will take place (SMART) - also reflect why
  • Implementation intentions = Connecting one event w/ another 
  • ie If x happens, I will do y 
  • eg After dinner (x), I will run around Ross Creek for 30 mins (y)
  • Plan for barriers (perceived behavioural control)
  • Use cues to initiate exercise 
  • Feeds into habits
• Making Exercise a Priority 

  • Implementation intentions = Connecting one event w/ another 
  • ie If x happens, I will do y 
  • eg After dinner (x), I will run around Ross Creek for 30 mins (y)
  • Establish connection behaviour patterns w/ exercise plans 
  • Plan for barriers (perceived behavioural control)
  • How well can control own behaviour 
  • Connection to regulatory self-efficacy & how would overcome them 
• Making Exercise a Priority  

  • Create a schedule
  •  Big goal at top to keep in mind; weekly goals (help task self-efficacy); I am active because? Feed into sense of values, so can reflect 
  • Sit alongside them & do it (create schedule together)
  • Think about the things they need to do to enact exercise 
  • Work out little things people don’t normally think about
  • Make it realistic
  •  Also helps self-regulation 
  • Get them to go back & revise what worked, what could do different 
  • Think of energy levels throughout day 
  • May be low at end of day 
• Making Exercise a Priority  

  • Use cues to initiate exercise 
  • eg having a kit/clothes laid out in the morning ready to fo 
  • eg associate cue w/ running more likely to do it 
  • Makes it easier 
  • Feeds into habits
  • Good to reducing cognitive load 
  • Takes a lot of effort mentally & physically
• Applications of Exercise Psychology 

  • To create effective PA interventions/programmes
  • Intention → Autonomous motivation →
  • Sustained PA
  • Positive mental health

  
• Applications of Exercise Psychology 

  • To create effective PA interventions/programmes/schedules
  • Intention: 
  • Cultivating motivation 
  • Social support 
  • Need satisfaction 
  • Collaborative goal-setting 
  • Support value reflection 
  • Acknowledge which stage a person is at 
  • Autonomous motivation:
  • Enjoyment 
  • Valued reasons for PA
  • Sustained PA 
  • Continuous goal revision 
  • Achievement of outcome expectations 
  • Positive mental health
  • Reduce likelihood of depression, anxiety etc
  • Increased wellbeing 

  
• Applications of Exercise Psychology 

  • Intention: 
  • Cultivating motivation 
  • Social support 
  • Need satisfaction 
  • Collaborative goal-setting 
  • Support value reflection 
  • Feeds into self-efficacy
  • Acknowledge which stage a person is at 
  • Really influence how approach intervention & how we deliver it 
  • Aim for autonomous motivation 
  • w/ support of providing autonomy 

  
• Applications of Exercise Psychology 

  • Autonomous motivation:
  • Enjoyment 
  • Valued reasons for PA
  • Outcomes of autonomous motivation should be:
  • Sustained PA 
  • Continuous goal revision 
  • To keep progressing 
  • Or to modify if struggling to meet goal
  • Achievement of outcome expectations 
  • Continuous achievement that feeds into sustained

  
• Applications of Exercise Psychology 

  • Autonomous motivation:
  • Positive mental health
  • Reduce likelihood of depression, anxiety etc
  • Increased wellbeing 
  • Not just about treating illness but about promoting positive wellbeing 
  • Esp in times of stress
  • In guidelines but not really implemented, but should be included in these programmes (for improving mental health)

  
• Applying Principles of Exercise Psychology Can be Used to…

  • Create effective PA programmes & interventions that go beyond optimal 
  • Increase impact of initiative such as Green Prescription to support people in getting active - having potentially huge effects on public health 
  • Create effective PA promotional materials to build initial intention 
• Applying Principles of Exercise Psychology Can be Used to…

  • Increase impact of initiative such as Green Prescription to support people in getting active - having potentially huge effects on public health 
  • Green prescription helps prescribe exercise - need to rebrand it (take away prescription), want to be supporting people 
  • Can be used for mental health (but don’t collect enough data, to see if is successful)
  • To improve effectiveness of such initiatives
  • Evolve to make it supportive for as long as people need it 
• Applying Principles of Exercise Psychology Can be Used to…

  • Create effective PA promotional materials to build initial intention 
  • Children as influences on their parent (affective pill) - from push play again ad
  • Building motivation to enact on it