the sportsmen reported decreases in tension/anxiety after the maximal exercise. However,
all subjects reported increased exhilaration and increased mental vigour two minutes
after both the maximal and moderate exercise compared with the minimal condition, and
in addition, the increase in exhilaration was maintained after the 30 minutes of recovery.Conclusion
The authors conclude that both maximal and moderate exercise results in beneficial
changes in both mental vigour and exhilaration in both sportsmen and inactive men
and suggest that ‘exercise leads to positive mood changes even among people who
are unaccustomed to physical exertion’. They also suggest that greater attention to the
immediate effects of exercise may improve adherence to exercise programmes.WHAT FACTORS PREDICT EXERCISE?
Because of the potential benefits of exercise, research has evaluated which factors are
related to exercise behaviour. The determinants of exercise can be categorized as either
social/political or individual.Social/political predictors of exercise
An increased reliance on technology and reduced daily activity in paid and domestic
work may have resulted in an increase in the number of people having relatively seden-
tary lifestyles. In addition, a shift towards a belief that exercise is good for an individual’s
well-being and is relevant for everyone has set the scene for social and political changes
in terms of emphasizing exercise. Therefore, since the late 1960s many government
initiatives have aimed to promote sport and exercise. Factors such as the availability of
facilities and cultural attitudes towards exercise may be related to individual participa-
tion. Consequently, the Sports Council launched an official campaign in 1972 in an
attempt to create a suitable climate for increasing exercise behaviour. Initiatives such as
‘Sport for All’, ‘Fun Runs’ and targets for council facilities, such as swimming pools and
sports centres, were part of this initiative. In collaboration with the Sports Council,
McIntosh and Charlton (1985) reported that the provision of council services had
exceeded the Sports Council’s targets by 100 per cent. This evaluation concluded that:
Central government funding for sport and specific local authority allocations have
helped participation in sport.
Despite small improvements, the Sport for All objective is far from being realized and
inequalities persist.
Inequalities in the provision of sport facilities have diminished – especially for indoor
sport.
The recognition of the Sports Council’s earlier emphasis on élite sports has been slow
and disproportionately large amounts of the Council’s funds are still being spent on
élite sport.174 HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY