Abstract
Much is known about the benefits of regular physical activity and exercise. Less is known about what motivates people to first begin and then continue exercise. This article focuses on physical activity motivation and behavior. We surveyd a group of nearly 800 active participants in a very successful community trail running series to quantify their exercise habits, physical activity history and motivation for first beginning and ultimately continuing exercise.Male and female participants reported average weekly exercise duration of 180 and 145 minutes per week respectively. Almost 30% of the participants in the Terrain Running Karusell had only recently started regular exercise. Another 25–30% had recently returned to a pattern of regular exercise. While traditional health related goals were most frequently reported as reasons for beginning exercise, the role of social influences like support and encouragement from «significant others» such as family members, collegues and friends were reported to be very important for both beginning and continuing exercising.
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