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Living for Today or Tomorrow? Self‐Regulation amidst Proximal or Distal Exercise Outcomes
Author(s) -
Evans M. Blair,
Shanahan Erin,
Leith Scott,
Litvak Noah,
Wilson Anne E.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
applied psychology: health and well‐being
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.276
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1758-0854
pISSN - 1758-0846
DOI - 10.1111/aphw.12160
Subject(s) - medicine , promotion (chess) , physical therapy , physical activity , self efficacy , psychology , gerontology , social psychology , politics , political science , law
Background Although health promotion efforts to increase exercise behavior often emphasise long‐term outcomes, sustained action in service of a distal reward is challenging. These studies examined how focusing on the proximal benefits of exercise, compared to distal outcomes or more general outcomes, may strengthen individuals’ self‐regulatory self‐efficacy and support physical activity or exercise behavior. Methods Participants in Study 1 ( N = 1057 community members) completed an online survey. Participants in Study 2 ( N = 69 students) and Study 3 ( N = 107 students) experienced experimental manipulations related to proximal or distal outcomes of exercise, and then completed survey measures. In Study 4, new members at a commercial gym ( N = 210) completed a survey and had check‐ins recorded over 17 weeks. Results In Study 1, participants who ranked proximal outcomes of exercise as relatively more important than distal outcomes reported more frequent physical activity. In Studies 2 and 3, participants induced to focus on proximal outcomes reported increased self‐regulatory self‐efficacy. In Study 4, valuing proximal benefits predicted sustained exercise behavior (i.e. check‐ins), particularly when fitness goal adherence felt difficult. Conclusions Those holding increased proximal outcome beliefs reported more activity and greater efficacy to overcome the barriers that derail exercise.