European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 6, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                To your make it a habit by Ira Dreyfuss associated press regular exercise is More than a state of activity its a stale of mind people who can Slick with exercise apparently can focus How they feel and what they want says one expert who adds that the less Active May not know what to expect and flounder Quot people who come in for the first time need to be informed about the kind of experiences they Are going through Quot said Lise Gauvin an assistant professor in the department of exercise science at Concordia University in Montreal. Her study of motivation was published in the Canadian journal of sport sciences. Gauvin and her colleagues studied 78 people at a downtown Myca. Some exercised by themselves others exercised in a class and still others were taking language or Art classes. The report classed them As autonomous exercisers fitness program enrollees dropouts and non exercisers. Researchers conducted interviews to draw out motivations and perceptions. The report concedes that there s a certain amount of scientific Slack in this approach which does not generate the standardized yes and no answers on which scientists like to build theories but it says the results could Lead to More precise measures. Autonomous exercisers and fitness program enrollees highly valued fitness and looking Good As might be expected. But the dropouts and sedentary individuals did t seem to have Well focused goals. Some reported liking fun and Competition but the report said Quot answers were so diverse that other categorizations were virtually  autonomous exercisers also tended not to be looking Good is important to those who Are enrolled in fitness programs. Regular exercisers generally Tike the activity and for Many exercise becomes a habit. Concerned with motivating themselves to exercise. They had made it a habit. The researchers found similar Force of habit among the fitness class enrollees although some also tended to encourage themselves with Pep talks. Dropouts however had planned extensively before they exercised and made sure their other jobs had been done before they went to work out. Regular exercisers generally liked the activity itself the researchers said but dropouts and no exercisers tended not to and had a variety of other reasons for the rare times they exercised. Dropouts tended to value social interaction or Competition while no exercisers liked fresh air and Sunshine the report Aiso says that regular exercisers perceived their level of intensity at 75-80 percent which on a scale of exertion would be a Good workout. Recent fitness enrollees gave estimates of 85-90 percent which would approach maximum exertion. Dropouts claimed 95-100 percent. And the reaction to exercise was different. The self motivated autonomous exercisers reported feeling energized afterwards. Some of the fitness program enrollees reported being tired. And the dropouts tended to feel glad it was Over. This might be a sign that those new to exercise or those who never developed a taste for it have not had a proper introduction to the stress of exercise and Are confusing exertion with pain Gauvin said. Instruction in How to gear themselves mentally might help them become regular exercisers she said. That approach also is favored by another researcher Rod k. Dishman an associate professor in the physical education department at the University of Georgia in Athens a. A removing the barriers is As or More effective than increasing the motivation Quot he said. And he said the barriers a factors such As scheduling and family obligations a Are Best addressed individually because they vary from person to person. In general however you can decide what your goals Are choose a form of exercise you like fix it in your schedule and commit to its Success said another expert Jerry a May of Reno Mev chairman of the sports psychology committee of the . Olympic committee. Page 14 health Bonus for senior citizens by Gerr Kobren Baltimore Sun the Assumption at the heart of the fitness revolution has always been that activity and proper diet Are Good for us when we Are Young and will help stave off disease and disabilities As we age. Now proof that exercise is beneficial for older people is emerging in the United states from a federally funded research project a known As Quot fitness Over 50�?o a that the stars and stripes measures the physiological status of Active seniors a we clearly have people in the program Over 70 with no evidence of heart disease Quot says or. Andrew Goldberg professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland and primary researcher in the project. Quot they have cardiac and metabolic profiles such that if i lined them up with 25-year-Olds, i could t Tel the  with volunteers who enter the program at various Levels of fitness from top level a master athletes Quot Down to Couch potatoes a the exercise emphasis has been on aerobic activities such As walking biking and jogging. So far Only men have been studied though the program will begin evaluating women in the next few months even on the men All the data Arentt in yet. But after about five years of study Many improvements have been documented As the men become More Active their ability to use oxygen increases. A this is probably the Best test of Overall Well being Goldberg says. A you can t get a Good result unless the Muscles heart and pulmonary system Are in Good shape and glucose and fat Are being utilized efficiently. A your people go further on the Treadmill their exercise capacity is greater. One study shows an increase in cardiac blood flow. High density Lipop triglycerides go Down. Glucose Metal you put a diabetic on a Treadmill for a get the same decrease in glucose As i  furthermore psychological and net shown that older men who exercise a happier and More competent in daily i sedentary men who lose weight by die at the University of Maryland Collet a companion study is trying to clarify to weightlifting in older men. Last april Ben Hurley director of Thi physiology lab at College Park recruit to 69 who had not weight trained for Al weight machines he trained them to n heavy loads a so far the average person has Inci 100 pounds on the legs the average in body Power is 30 percent to 50 percen Quot and from questioning them we find to  muscle mass has also increased in i Analysed so far while the fat around Thi the skin has decreased. Tuesday Iii my. My Jeff and Laurel Huff of Stuttgart Germany keep fit with Dally jogging sessions. A amps Ken George ases if u can of its have it Are in awhile of aged 50 r. Using singly than paper lays. Objects id under in previous studies Hurley found that strength training leads to More efficient use of blood sugar which reduces the risk of diabetes since diabetes is a risk Factor for heart disease better glucose metabolism reduces the risk of heart disease As Well. So bigger Muscles not Only make you stronger and better looking they May also make you healthier. An assistant professor of physical education at the . Naval Academy whose responsibilities include whipping the first summer plebes into shape Heinz Lenz 65, defines physical fitness in practical terms. A you Are fit if you can carry out any physical task assigned to you or chosen by you a he says ranging from taking out the trash to jumping out of the Way of a careening car to enjoying your Leisure. Quot you should be Able to throw a football with the grandchildren you should be Able to take a relaxed Bike ride with the grandchildren. You should be Able to hit a Tennis Ball with the grandchildren a though maybe you can to play competitively against  studies indicate that exercise can improve both the health and happiness of older people. Is i a Booster for your self esteem by Ira Dreyfuss associated press a strenuous workout can not Only make you feel better it just might make you feel better about yourself. Quot All i have is anecdotal information and it appears those who persist in exercise say yeah it enhances self esteem a Quot said Wynn f. Updyke project director of the Chrysler fund aau physical fitness program. The program conducted throughout the United states tests the athletic abilities of elementary and High school students. Fifty percent to 60 percent of teachers who work with the program believe that self esteem is the most important psychological Benefit of exercise said Updyke associate Dean of health physical education and recreation at Indiana University in Bloomington. Updyke is setting up a study to Check the relationship Between exercise and self esteem. He and his colleagues intend to give physical and psychological tests to approximately 800 students from fourth Grade on for at least three years. They want to study changes Over time so they can search for possible cause and effect. The researchers plan to test the idea that Confidence in a students physical abilities generalizes into general Confidence about himself and they want to see if improved exercise performance generalizes into better grades. Previous research generally has reported that people who exercise tend to have higher self esteem said Robert j. Sonstroem a professor of physical education at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston. However it Hasni to been proved if exercise causes a change and assuming it does How important exercise is compared with other causes he said. Although Sonstroem believes exercise might raise a person s opinion of his body which  to higher Overall self esteem others Are less confident. A i think that question is still out Quot said Don Hellison a professor of physical education at California state University at Chico. A do we think about ourselves in a holistic Way or in terms of roles and abilities Quot self esteem about physical appearance fitness and competence in sports might correlate with each other without generalizing into an Overall feeling said Hellison who is working with Updyke to plan the study. Another Issue is that self esteem seems to have a lot of behavioural roots making it difficult to find a measurement system Updyke said. In physical education for instance Quot it s never just exercise its always sports or some other sort of skillful activity Quot he said. The fitness tests to be used in the study will try to reduce the skill component by including such Standard Laboratory measures As stationary bicycle Riding Updyke said. If the results Are positive they May indicate something Eise about self esteem a that simply trying and succeeding is Good for your emotional health Updyke said. If that s the Case then programs to improve self esteem through exercise might empower disadvantaged students to take charge of their lives in other areas the research outline said. For that matter said Sonstroem the amount of exercise you do May be less important than How you feel about your accomplishments in doing it a whether your own efforts have helped you to meet your goal a nothing succeeds like Success with self esteem Quot he said. 6,1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 15