Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Despite the many known health benefits of regular physical activity, 85% of adult Canadians do not meet physical activity guidelines. While there are a lot of barriers to physical activity participation, there are also motivating factors that can have a positive impact. One of these motivating factors is a person's exercise identity. Exercise identity, which is defined as the degree to which a person believes being an “exerciser” is central to who they are, is positively related to exercise participation.I hypothesize that a person's exercise identity can help them meet their physical activity goals, even during times of high stress from university scholastic demands.I will recruit 120 undergraduate students to participate in my 2 week-long, daily diary study during exam time. Once data collection and analysis is complete, I will publish my results in scientific journals, as well as present the results in poster sessions or presentations at academic conferences. It is imperative for the health of our population to continue research in this area in order to further understand motivations and barriers for physical activity. If my hypothesis is supported, the development and maintenance of a strong exercise identity can one day be used in interventions to help the public combat stress related difficulties meeting physical activity guidelines.