Home Family Practice Gym Class Memories Can Influence Adults’ Exercise Habits

Gym Class Memories Can Influence Adults’ Exercise Habits

Those with good memories of gym class more likely to be currently engaging in physical activity

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 22, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Memories of school gym class may affect a person’s exercise habits today, according to a study published in the Aug. 15 issue of the Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

The study included 1,028 men and women, ages 18 to 40, who completed an online questionnaire that asked them about their experiences in gym class as children and their current exercise habits.

The researchers found that people who didn’t like gym class tended to say that they didn’t expect to like exercise and did not plan to exercise in the coming days. Those who liked gym class were more likely to say that they expected exercise to be enjoyable and that they were active on weekends.

“Childhood memories of physical education are associated with physical activity attitude, intention, and sedentary behavior in adulthood,” the authors write. “Intensified research efforts should be directed toward understanding the factors and processes that lead to the formation of memories of physical education.”

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