Determinants of women’s willingness to continue fitness training in spite of health risks

Study aim: the aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between willingness to continue training in spite of health risks and the following variables: age, body parameters and selected elements of body image as well as duration, amount and intensity of training sessions.

Material and methods: the study’s participants were 140 women aged 18 to 35 years who had been training at a fitness club for between 1 and 15 years. The following tools were used: Figure Rating Scale, a modified Body Satisfaction Scale, and a questionnaire to investigate actual and ideal body parameters, motivation to begin training and training parameters.

Results: women who were willing to discontinue fitness training due to potential health risks exercised less often and engaged in shorter training sessions with less intensity. They were also more dissatisfied with their motor fitness. Higher readiness to continue training can be expected from women with more training experience, who are motivated by a need to improve their appearance, who are more satisfied with their motor fitness and who have a lower ideal BMI.

Conclusions: the results of the study suggest that women who complete greater amounts of exercise and are more motivated to train for aesthetic reasons rather than for reasons related to fitness are more prone to obligatory exercise.