What can be done with an education on personal health if there are no opportunities to apply that knowledge to life? Facilities are a crucial factor in improving the health of the nation. The goal of the fitness field is to provide a place where people enjoy going on a regular basis to work out. Maintaining these facilities and creating the necessary environment is the constant challenge facing managers today. From equipment, to programs, to trainers, periodic

Tostitos chips ran a commercial a while back where people were lined up behind one ‘leader’ (impersonating an aerobics instructor) as he went through chip-lifting exercises while laying on rafts at the pool. Although humorous, this commercial was the epitome of what is happening to the majority of Americans’ impression of exercise. This is where creativity and motivational strategies come into play-how are you going to get on overweight person to the gym, when you can’t even get them to take the stairs?

By compiling the data of many studies, it can be concluded that there are certain populations that are more apt to participate in regular physical activity. Among these groups are those of higher education. There are two hypotheses to why this result may be expected. The first of these is the assumption that individuals of higher education are exposed to more health and wellness information incorporated in their schooling. The second is based on the direct correlation between higher education and household income levels. Especially in a struggling economy and higher unemployment rates, fewer people have access to the extra funds often required for attending recreational facilities.

Competition with other means of leisure activities poses a constant problem for promoting recreational facilities. With the luxury of having everything just a click away on the Internet, television, or telephone, people can virtually live in their house without ever needing to leave-or even move from the couch. A study in Physician and Sportsmedicine noted a “steady increase in the proportion of US men who report participating in no leisure-time activity between the ages of 29 to 69.”(40) What has changed so much in recent years that can affect a population so drastically across the board?

The last of the physical factors studied is attractiveness of the facility. Initial appeal was found to be beneficial in catching the attention of the consumers, but had limited long-term effects. Donovan and Giles-Corti found that “the influence of the physical environment on physical activity levels, generally, was relatively weak and secondary to individual and social environmental determinants.”(1809) Despite this evidence, health facilities are still placing a strong emphasis on public image.

The results of the surveys helped in comparing the local responses to those gathered from outside sources. The interview responses were helpful in directing the background research and determining which results are most valuable. It is crucial to also find out how active the participants are. With over 90 percent of those surveyed working out weekly, the responses are more valuable. Because of the population surveyed, the answers are going to vary from results gathered on the elderly or children. The weight problem facing Americans is not going to be solved through interviews and surveys however, and that’s where this study comes up short. As research and time has proved, there has to be an increase in internal motivation and a decrease in excuses. Until then, no amount of research is going to convince someone to take the stairs instead of the elevator, eat an apple instead of a candy bar, or going to the gym instead of the bar.

The message of fitness that facilities are pushing is more widely accepted when targeting all age groups. As presented above, the rate of childhood obesity is constantly increasing, showing a great need for increased intervention from schools, parents, and local recreational facilities. In hi

Some topics in this essay:
Dietetic Association, Donovan Giles-Corti, America Results, Ashland University, Dr Phil, Foreyt Poston, Commonwealth University, Houston University, Physician Sportsmedicine, Examination Survey, physical activity, recreational facilities, physical environment, individual social, background research, percent students, influence physical, college students, social interaction, body composition, influence physical activity, answered five times, percent students answered, regular physical activity, percent answered five,