How Much You Exercise Depends on Your Mindset
May 25, 2020Casual research citation flex πͺ π€β£
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Realized today that I share a lot of studies from other researchers… but never my own lolβ£
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This was a study I conducted in 2018 and was published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology in 2019β£
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Without training in how to interpret statistics or read scientific results, this figure can be a little confusing (but left I the beta values for my stats savvy friends out there)β£
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Lemme break it down πβ£
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Fitness Mindset: how strong your growth mindset regarding fitness is (e.g. how much do you believe in your ability to become a more fit individual?)β£
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Fitness Identity & Value: how much you value and identify with fitness and exerciseβ£
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Exercise Self-Efficacy: how likely are you to persist in your exercise goals in the face of obstaclesβ£
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Exercise Frequency: how much exercise you’ve gotten in the last 3 months, 6 months, and 1 yearβ£
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There is a significant relationship between MINDSET and EXERCISE FREQUENCY β£
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So, the stronger your growth mindset, the more likely you are to exercise more frequently.β£
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BUT this relationship is mediated by fitness value/identity and self-efficacy.β£
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Which means…β£
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Growth mindset increases value/identity and increases self-efficacy… and BECAUSE OF THIS, we see greater exercise frequency.β£
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This study provides an example of the importance of your mindset when it comes to how often you exercise.β£
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But, it’s not just a direct relationship between growth mindset β‘οΈ and more exercise.β£
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Having a growth mindset increases a lot of other “good stuff” like your values, what you identify with, and your self-efficacy (aka important things for sustained behavior change)β£
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And it’s that increase in “good stuff” that likely leads you to exercising more.β£
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TLDR:β£
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π Mindset is a science. Statistics and all.β£
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And mindset matters for your health behavior change endeavors, according to science.β£