Where is the Motivation?

Hunter Hammond

According to an article from the Associated Content, college students do not exercise due to a lack of motivation. The article cites a study taken of 1044 individuals living in a college setting. The study inquired the subjects who exercised regularly, exercised moderately, and none at all what was their reasoning behind exercise. The subjects who exercised frequently revealed that motivation and enjoyment was key to staying on top of a workout regimen. Of the subjects who worked out moderately to none, it was reported that a lack of motivation, as well as other factors, was the reason. The article reveals that lack motivation is the catalyst for exercise, but what the article fails to do is assess what instills motivation in some and what inhibits it in others.

The subjects who exercised routinely expressed that working out made them feel better. It was revealed that the motivation was fueled by an intense desire to be healthy and to feel good. Among the subjects who exercised moderately, it was reported that more time would allocate for a more strict and routine workout. Correspondingly, among individuals who did not exercise, it was expressed that a lack of time was responsible for not exercising. This presents the question: Is there really no time for exercise?

College students today are faced with a myriad of tasks and obligations which must be met. It takes a great deal of studying and work to stay on top of just the academic aspect of college life. Outside of that aspect lies also a social life which needs balancing. With theses thing in mind, it is not hard to envision that time for exercise would be limited. The Chief Executive Officer of Georgia Tech's Student Government Association stated that a definite decrease is observable between the first week of classes (where testing has not yet set in) and the fourth and fifth weeks of classes (when tests and quizzes are in full swing). An article from UPI also points out that college students workout less in college.

However, in contrast to that vantage, Lawrence Conant (author of: Tackling tech: Suggestions for the undergraduate in technical school or college) reveals that not only can one make time for exercise, but by through exercising one can become better suited to tackle a demanding schedule. This thought proposes an answer to the motivation question. An incentive to workout can be found in the respect that working out may increase one's academic performance.