Exploring the relationship between physical activity, psychological well-being and physical self- perception in different exercise groups

Abstract

The value of various forms of physical activity, exercise and sport in health promotion is universally acknowledged. This research compared psychological wellbeing and physical self-perception of persons who regularly engage in various forms of physical activity, exercise and sport with a control group of non-exercisers. Different physical activities selected included health club exercises (mainly resistance training), hockey (a team sport), and running (mainly aerobic exercise). Main findings were that persons engaging in regular physical activity perceived themselves as having more autonomy, personal growth, environmental mastery, purpose in life, positive relations with others, self-acceptance, sport competence and conditioning than non-exercisers. Regular exercisers also attached more importance to sport, conditioning, body attractiveness and strength than non-exercisers. Hockey players perceived themselves as having more positive relations with others and sport competence than either health club members or runners. The relevance of these findings and further implications for health and sport psychological research and interventions were discussed.

Keywords: physical activity, psychological well-being, physical self-perception

South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation Vol. 27(1) 2005: 59-74