What Drives Portuguese Women to Be Physically Active? Associations between Motives and Well-Being Indicators

Motives and self-esteem play crucial roles in shaping personal behavior and emotions and have been shown to impact well-being. However, the association between these constructs has been overlooked in women who seem to be more externally driven to engage in exercise. The present study was carried out with the objective of analyzing the associations between motives for physical exercise, positive and negative activations, and self-esteem of Portuguese women exercising at gyms and fitness centers. The sample consists of 206 women aged between 16 and 68 years old (M = 35.77; SD = 11.47). Participants answered a short sociodemographic questionnaire, the Goal Content for Exercise Questionnaire, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale. The results showed that the health motive had the highest predictive value (β = 0.24; p < 0.01) on self-esteem and demonstrated a positive and significant correlation with positive activation and self-esteem (p < 0.01). On the other hand, the social recognition motive had the lowest predictive value on self-esteem (β = −0.04; p > 0.05) and demonstrated a non-significant correlation with positive activation and self-esteem (p > 0.05). Looking at the coefficients in the hierarchical regression model, it can be seen that the health motive and positive activation were positively and significantly correlated with self-esteem. This study points to the need to raise awareness about the motives of exercise related to the physical and mental health of Portuguese women. Portuguese women that exercise for health motives display greater perceived self-esteem which is an indication of a greater sense of well-being. While the results are limited to Portuguese women, exercise physiologists assessing exercise motives could provide information on how to prescribe exercise as a means to increase self-esteem, considering the positive activation resulting from this behavior.