EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY VITAL TO GOOD HEALTH IN AGING

MANHATTAN -- "I'd go jogging, but it's too hot today and I'm too tired."

We've probably all heard or said something like this before, but these simple words are part of a greater issue dealing with physical fitness, particularly in regard to the growing aging population.

According to Nancy Gyurcsik, professor of kinesiology at Kansas State University, maintaining good health, while primarily dependent upon physical exercise, is also greatly affected by individual social cognitive behavior. This is especially important with the aging population.

Gyurcsik is currently researching the social psychological aspects of the initiation and maintenance of fitness behavior. She is focusing on the day-to-day thoughts people have when deciding whether to exercise as planned and the cognitive and behavioral strategies to cope with these thoughts so that people will decide to exercise and improve fitness. With the aging population, this sometimes presents a greater challenge.

"When people start exercising, typically they are very interested and motivated, but by the time they reach six months, 50 percent of those people will drop out," Gyurcsik said. "When faced with acute negative thoughts like being 'too tired' or 'too busy,' you have to get people to be confident that they can cope with these thoughts from the pool of coping strategies that they have.

"What we're finding with the aging population is they cope by either thinking a positive thought, or they cope by doing something," she said.

Gyurcsik said that the decision to exercise is often dependent upon positive or negative cognitions. "Positive thinkers are the ones who are going to make that decision to exercise regardless," she said. "But, we've got a group of negative thinkers who, if they can cope with these negative thoughts, they'll decide to exercise."

One way this problem may be addressed in the aging population -- who oftentimes experience greater physical difficulties, and thus more acute negative thoughts because of conditions such as arthritis -- is through group exercise sessions. "This is really important for the older population, because they are sometimes very isolated," Gyurcsik said.

Adherence to fitness programs may also be encouraged in the aging through verbal persuasion, according to Gyurcsik. In this process, a group of older adults who are similar in age and ethnic makeup are brought together and confronted with a "master," or a peer who is perceived as a trustworthy expert and experienced in exercise and fitness. This individual then persuades the group of how easy it is to cope with acute thoughts and make the decision to exercise.

This verbal persuasion also helps boost members' confidence. "We know from theory that once confidence increases, they are going to be better able to cope and, therefore, decide to exercise," Gyurcsik said.

Another strategy that Gyurcsik and others want to see used in the community and surrounding areas within the next two years is called mastery experience. This process, which is particularly useful for older adults who may have greater acute negative cognitions, increases confidence by working to actively overcome negative thoughts on a daily basis.

"If we can get that person to cope with those negative thoughts that day, that's a mastery experience," Gyurcsik said. "And that's the most important confidence booster -- overcoming the problem on one day and increasing your confidence for the next time you face those kinds of thoughts."

Gyurcsik sees the research that she and others like her are carrying out to be of utmost importance to the future of the general population. "The aging population is getting bigger and bigger, so it's really influencing the field," she said. "If we get people to live to 120 years old, obviously their quantity of life is going to be enhanced, but can we increase their quality of life by helping them adhere to a regular program of exercise?"

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October 2000