Images of exercising: Exploring the links between exercise imagery use, autonomous and controlled motivation to exercise, and exercise intention and behavior

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Abstract

Objectives

In the present study, we tested a model examining the relationships between exercise imagery use, motivational regulations for exercise engagement, intention to exercise, and self-reported exercise behavior. This work represents an initial attempt to examine relationships between a new type of exercise imagery (enjoyment imagery) and motivational regulations for exercise.

Design

Cross-sectional.

Method

Exercisers with a mean age of 40.29 years (SD = 13.29; 177 female, 141 male) completed measures of the targeted variables.

Results

Structural equation modeling analyses revealed direct and indirect (via motivational regulations) links between imagery and exercise-related outcomes. Technique and enjoyment imagery were positively related to autonomous motivation. Conversely, appearance imagery was positively associated with controlled motivation. Direct relationships were evidenced between energy imagery and self-reported exercise behavior, and between appearance imagery and intention to exercise.

Conclusions

The potential motivational functions served by different exercise imagery types are discussed, and the inclusion of enjoyment imagery in future exercise imagery research is recommended.

Highlights

► We test a model of exercise imagery use, exercise motivation, intention and behavior. ► The first cross-sectional study to investigate exercisers’ use of enjoyment imagery. ► Technique and enjoyment imagery were positively related to autonomous motivation. ► Appearance imagery was positively associated with controlled motivation. ► Strategies to enhance exercise motivation and behavior via imagery use are described.

Section snippets

Participants

Three hundred and fifty participants were recruited to take part in the study, of whom 193 were female (55%) and 157 were male (45%). The age range of the sample was 18–65 years (M = 40.29; SD = 13.29). The participants reported engaging in a variety of exercise activities including aerobics classes (n = 14), weight training (n = 17), cardio machines (n = 17), running outdoors (n = 36), swimming (n = 12), cycling outdoors (n = 6), martial arts (n = 10), yoga/pilates (n = 6), racquet sports (n = 14), team sports (n = 

Data screening and cleaning

Multivariate outliers were determined by analyzing Mahalanobis distance values. Following the recommendations of Tabachnick and Fidell (2007) these values were evaluated as the χ2 with degrees of freedom equal to the number of variables in the full data set. Any cases (in this instance, 24) with Mahalanobis distance values greater than the critical value shown in a chi-square critical value table were removed from further analyses. Eight further cases were deleted due to missing data in a

Discussion

The purpose of this study was to test a structural model based on past findings applying SDT (Ryan & Deci, 2000) in the exercise domain, drawing from the findings of Wilson, Rodgers, Hall, et al. (2003), to examine the relationships between different types of exercise imagery and autonomous and controlled motivation, and to determine whether these relationships were linked to intention to exercise and self-reported exercise behavior. Based on past research findings in the area (e.g., Wilson,

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