Do you like tofu? For many, there's nothing appealing about it unless you prepare it with a marinade that transforms its taste, or hide it in a tasty spaghetti sauce! Moving, when you've been sedentary for some time, or when you live with chronic pain, is much the same thing: we know that moving is good for our health, but getting back into physical activity can seem demoralizing. Moving from intention to action then becomes a real challenge.
Goal
Do you like tofu? For many, there’s nothing appealing about it unless you prepare it with a marinade that transforms its taste, or hide it in a tasty spaghetti sauce! Moving, when you’ve been sedentary for some time, or when you live with chronic pain, is much the same thing: we know that moving is good for our health, but getting back into physical activity can seem demoralizing. Moving from intention to action then becomes a real challenge.
Do you think you’re the cause of this lack of motivation? Your genes also play a role. Although human beings are naturally programmed to be physically active, they are also programmed to avoid unnecessary effort. This duality is a challenge for us all. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one in three adults fail to reach recommended levels of physical activity. Yet the benefits of exercise are widely recognized. But how can we overcome this natural tendency towards a sedentary lifestyle, especially when pain is a constant companion?
An ongoing research project is examining the effects of a strategy implemented by a team at the Centre d’expertise en gestion de la douleur chronique of the CIUSSS de l’Estrie-CHUS to transform the motivation to move of people living with chronic pain. The ingredient to counter low appetite for physical activity, the tofu in our story, is social affiliation, that fundamental human need to maintain relationships with others and feel connected!
Methodology
Twelve participants took up a collective challenge: to be physically active for six months, while at the same time accumulating the 7,000 kilometers corresponding to the crossing of Canada carried out in parallel by real adventurers from the AKOR 2024 Expedition, with whom the participants were put in contact. T
Results and take home message
They made it! The next step will be to study whether and to what extent these participants have maintained an active lifestyle six months after the experience.
Preliminary results from group meetings and individual interviews point us in an interesting direction: Here are some ingredients for enriching physical activity with pleasure, and thus moving from intention to action.
- Sharing the activity with another person: knowing that you’re socially connected to someone, at a distance or in person, encourages attendance, reduces drop-outs and facilitates re-engagement after a break.
- Associate the activity with a passion. Walking to take photos, for example, combines physical well-being with personal pleasure, offering an immediate sense of accomplishment.
- Enjoy nature. Exercising outdoors in soothing surroundings increases the psychological benefits of physical activity, similar to the effects of social connection.
- Finish gently. Ending an activity at a lower intensity preserves a pleasant memory of the effort, making it more likely that you’ll want to do it again.
References
- Cheval, B. et Boisgontier, M. (2024). Promouvoir une activité physique régulière chez les patients : l’importance de la perception de l’effort.
- Feil, K., Fritsch, J., & Rhodes, R. E. (2023). The intention-behaviour gap in physical activity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the action control framework.
- Henderson, L., Tipper, L., Willicombe, S., & Gattis, M. (2024). Shared time in nature increases feelings of social connection amongst university students.
- Phoenix, C., & Orr, N. (2014). Pleasure: A forgotten dimension of physical activity in older age.
- Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being.
- Chao, T. E., Sharma, K., Mandigo, M., Hagander, L., Resch, S. C., Weiser, T. G., & Meara, J. G. (2014). Cost-effectiveness of surgery and its policy implications for global health: a systematic review and analysis.
- Warburton, D. E., & Bredin, S. S. (2017). Health benefits of physical activity: a systematic review of current systematic reviews.
This text was written by Caroline Guay, student at the Université de Sherbrooke, Faculté des sciences de l’activité physique.
