Objectification theory suggests that when individuals take on an observer's perspective of their physical appearance (known as self-objectification), they experience an increase in body shame and anxiety and a decrease in motivation and bodily awareness. The purpose of this study was to determine if self-objectification could impact social physique anxiety, intrinsic motivation, and bodily awareness as well as physical performance.Undergraduate female students (N=54) were recruited to participate in a Consumer Behaviour study (cover story). Participants were randomly assigned to a swimsuit or sweater condition, completed cover story and body image measures, changed into the clothing based upon randomization, then completed state body image measures and performed a series of balance tasks. Women in the swimsuit group experienced greater state self-objectification and reported greater amounts of body-related shame and appearance anxiety and lower amounts of intrinsic motivation. In addition, selfobjectification led to restricted arms, trunk, and leg movements during a 1-leg stand.Findings could have implications for promoting positive experiences during physical activity, such as sport, exercise or rehabilitation settings.
Online exercise programming may promote physical activity while at home, but little is known about its use among older adults. Using the Arksey and O’Malley framework, we describe the nature and extent of the research pertaining to the use of online exercise programming among adults 65 years of age and older. We ran two separate searches (January 2005–September 2020 and October 2020–October 2021), yielding 17 articles that met our inclusion criteria. A total of 1,767 participants (69% female) ranging from 65 to 94 years of age were included. Most studies delivered the online programs asynchronously. The majority of studies assessed the feasibility of online programs, with 14 studies investigating health-related outcomes such as physical, psychological, and social health. Future research should explore perceptions and experiences of online exercise programming among older adults and the mechanisms by which it impacts physical, psychological, social, and behavioral outcomes.
Online exercise programming has surged in popularity; however, little is known about older adults’ perceptions and experiences of online exercise. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine older adults’ (aged 59–82 years) experiences and perceptions of an online exercise program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nineteen individuals (individuals who used the online exercise program and those who did not) completed a semistructured interview. Three main themes were generated from the data using reflexive thematic analysis: (a) can online exercise really work for older adults? (b) technology attitudes and experiences influence online participation, and (c) barriers and advantages of the online exercise program and the home environment. Most participants who took part were able to overcome initial barriers through technical support and experience. Our findings highlight ways to promote advantages and address barriers of online exercise for older adults and emphasize the importance of fostering social experiences and training online exercise instructors.
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