Why Exercise seems Harder to Others

In this video by Emily Balcetis she explains her studies and correlation of people and exercise. She explains how people, fit and unfit, have different perspectives on exercise. She conducted several studies to help support her idea and help understand peoples perspectives. Her studies don't seem to be absolutely accurate but tries to convince her audience how people view things differently. In the beginning of her speech she shows a picture of a man that has a peculiar facial expression and asked them in one word describe this man. In a survey of 120 people there was a variety of answers ranging from discomfort to happy. This study just goes to show that people have different perspectives and view things differently. Then, why do people see exercise as harder than others?



Dr. BJ Fogg's model explains that there needs to be three elements in order for a behavior to happen. Which are motivation, trigger and ability. All need to happen at the same time in order for a behavior to happen and if it fails then one of the elements is not fully present. Balcetis's speech triggered me in to view her speech. I was curios to know what her reasoning was, as to why people view exercise as harder than others.



In Balcetis's speech she gives the examples as to why people have different perspectives. In her experiments she had groups focus on the goal (the finish line), ignore any surroundings and to guess the distance from where they are to the finish line. Then they had a separate group do the same thing but acknowledge the different objects surrounding the finish line and then guess the distance to the finish line from where they were. Those that focused on the finish line reported a shorter distance compared to those that saw everything to the finish line. Her motivation was trying to get her audience to focus on a goal, thus making it seem easier to accomplish. If people, fit and unfit, focus on their goals ignoring anything around the task will seem easier to accomplish.  Although it seems that this could get people triggered to view exercise differently, I don't think that it would last long. Those that are unfit lack that motivation to work out hence the reason why they are unfit.

In order to take action (exercise) you will need to be motivated to do so. BJ Fogg's model also requires to have motivation to help get the desired behavior. Balcetis's motivations for the audience was to help them see exercise as easy. If people see something as easy they are more likely to act than those that are not. Those that are unfit (because of their lack of motivation to exercise) would much rather do something easy than hard because of their physical ability. I would agree that if you focus on a goal then you will be more motivated but when it comes to exercise and people do not see their results as quickly as they like motivation decreases.

Lastly is ability in Fogg's model. As all human beings we have the ability to exercise but everyone different than each other. I have the ability to workout but would need the motivation and a trigger to get me to that behavior. Balcetis's acknowledge that unfit people can work out but that they can make it seem easier if they are to focus on the goal.

In general I agree with Balcetis's idea of making exercise seem easier by staying focused on a goal however it is difficult for others to focus on the goal they wish to achieve. There are plenty of distractions to everyone when it comes to exercise. A lot has to do with what you consume. If you are not eating healthy it will be difficult for your body to preform any strenuous work if it does not have the right amount of nutrients. Although she explained a different perspective on exercise it did not quite motivate me to see exercise as easier. She also correlated that your hip to waist ratio has to do with how well fit you are. The larger hips and waist you have the more unfit you are. I don't see that as being scientifically correct. You can not assume that measurement of people determines their fitness level. When she mentioned this in her speech I did not agree with much more she had to share. People come in all kinds of sizes and are different in their own abilities. Researching a measurement of peoples waist to hip does not support her idea of exercise being easier for smaller and skinnier people.

Her title to her talk caught my attention and curiosity to see why people view exercise as easier but after hearing her methods and studies it was not sound to me. When you talk about exercise it can range from any kind of physical activity. While listening to her speech it made me think about professional sports. Particularly line backers in the NFL, yea they are probably not as small or skinny as a wide receiver but does that mean they are unfit. They have that bigger body build but are strong dudes, so does that mean they are unfit in what they do? Comparing this speech to Fogg's behavioral model, she did not motivate me to see exercise differently and there were no triggers to make me stop and run off to the gym because I now see it as being easier. I also believe that her studies are falsely viewed and do not support her idea that exercise is seen as being easier for others.