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Understanding the factors that motivate health-enhancing physical activity has considerable merit given the role of this lifestyle behaviour in combating disease and promoting quality of life. The purpose of this article is to provide a broad overview of research investigating participation issues in exercise from the perspective of self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2002). Evidence informing the application of SDT to the study of motivational issues in exercise is reviewed around three central questions: (a) Does the quality of motivation regulating exercise behaviour "matter"?, (b) How important are basic psychological needs within exercise contexts?, and (c) Can contextual variables be manipulated to create adaptive environments for exercise? The available evidence is supportive of many propositions set forth within SDT by Deci and Ryan's (2002). Future avenues for exercise motivation research are offered based on the available evidence with a view to addressing unresolved issues and advancing SDT's development.
Keywords: exercise behaviour, motivation, basic psychological needs, organismic integration
Since Kraus and Raab (1961) coined the phrase "hypokinetic disease," health professionals have maintained an interest in the importance of regular physical activity. This is hardly surprising given the longstanding observation that engaging in regular physical activity confers a variety of health benefits including reduced likelihood of coronary heart disease, adult onset diabetes, obesity, certain cancers, and more recently, metabolic syndrome (Bouchard, Blair, & Haskell, 2007; Gilmour, 2007). Convincing epidemiological evidence has linked physical inactivity with reduced life expectancy for Canadians irrespective of gender (Katzmarzyk, 2006). Furthermore, health economists have provided compelling data to justify the endorsement of campaigns to increase physical activity implicating these initiatives as a viable cost-effective strategy to reduce the burden of chronic disease on Canada's health care system (Katmarzyk & Janssen, 2004).
Consistent with the biomedical benefits derived from regular physical activity, a growing body of research implicates a variety of psychological health consequences stemming from the adoption or maintenance of more physically active lifestyles (Fox, 2002). For example, emerging data suggest that variations in cognitive functioning in older adults are, in part, attributable to levels of fitness emanating from regular physical activity (Colcombe et al., 2003). Mental health benefits stemming from regular physical activity include enhanced self-esteem, vitality, and satisfaction with life (Fox, Statiti, McKenna, & Davis, 2006), and reductions...