Gym-goers need the 'feel good factor' to stay motivated

Researchers at London Metropolitan University have discovered that a desire to lose weight only motivates people to go the gym for up to six months.

A study for International Fitness Week investigating the behavioural and thought patterns of gym-goers found that many people were likely to give up after only 3 months unless they started to get a buzz from their workout. The Exercise Behaviour Study for Fitness First examined what motivates people to start exercising and whether these factors alter as they become regular gym-goers.

Dr Jeremy Adams, Principal Lecturer in Sport and Performance Psychology at the University’s Faculty of Life Sciences who led the research explained: ‘external motivations, such as the desire to lose weight, will only motivate people for around three to six months.’
 
The report also showed that that for gym-goers to continue working out past six months it was vital they found other motivations. ‘People will only tend to continue beyond that if they feel better having exercised, if they feel they have more energy or feel less stressed. Those who carry on going to the gym say they do feel better in this way and that's the hook’ said Jeremy.

‘Feeling that switch in motivation from external factors to internal ones tends to come from good personal experiences at the gym. This could be someone encouraging them and saying they've worked well or someone telling them how to exercise better.’

Commenting on the report, Fitness First's managing director John Gamble said: ‘We know that exercising releases feel good endorphins but to have this study reinforce the long term feel good aspect of regular exercise is tremendous.’

8 February 2010