Motives and barriers to initiation and sustained exercise adherence in a fitness club setting—A one‐year follow‐up study

No prospective studies have investigated motives and barriers to exercise in new untrained fitness club members. The aims of the present prospective longitudinal study were to (a) examine proportions reporting regular exercise, non‐regular exercise, and exercise dropout; (b) identify motives and barriers to exercise; and (c) compare motives between regular and non‐regular exercisers the first year of fitness club membership. New members (n = 250) were followed for 1 year. A questionnaire including demographics, exercise frequency, motives (EMI‐2), and barriers (18 common reported barriers) was used, and 184 answered at four time points (onset, and after 3, 6, and 12 months). Participants were categorized into regular exercise: ≥2 sessions/wk or non‐regular exercise: ≤1 session/wk, exercise relapse, or dropout. At 3, 6, and 12 months, 63.4%, 59.6%, and 57.2% exercised regularly, whereas 20.1%, 21.1%, and 28.3%, dropped out, respectively. Throughout the follow‐up, 37% reported regular exercise. At all time points, motives regarding positive health and strength/endurance were rated highest on a six‐point scale. Exercise dropouts rated priority as the greatest barrier. Regular exercisers rated the motives enjoyment (such as “I enjoy the feeling of exerting myself”) and challenge (such as “To give me goals to work towards”) higher than non‐regular exercisers (P = ≤.05). In conclusion, less than half exercised regularly, and most members were motivated by factors such as positive health and physical fitness the first year of fitness club membership. Higher levels of the motives enjoyment and challenge were associated with regular exercise.