Keeping FIT Through Gym

Question: Discuss about the Keeping FIT Through Gym. Answer: Introduction The issue of weight status and body image perceptions has for a long time shaped the societys attitude and view of particular people. Recent developments have created a community that largely appreciates the importance of keeping fit through constant exercises. Consequently, most people have enrolled for gym sessions in a bid to help stay strong and prevent illnesses and disorders associated with unfit bodies. In this regard, medical aspects such as the BMI have been taken seriously by people who wish to live up to the standards and perceptions of the community at large. Technology has played a big role in the exercising program through inventions of machines and equipment that help keep track of performance records and health situations of the individuals (Brown and Graham 2008). Nevertheless, the aspect of sexual orientation also comes at play and has been largely used as a focus point towards certain behaviors witnessed in the gym. Thus, it is important to understand the concept o f keeping fit through analyzing and evaluating attitudes and perceptions of the society at large. Individual body satisfaction An individuals body satisfaction is usually reliant on various aspects such as their sexuality, gender and narcissism. Studies have shown that gay men tend to focus on improving their appearance and in most cases, are less satisfied with their bodies as compared to straight men. Consequently, they spend more time in the gym to enhance their outward appearance and their perception of each other. However, straight men were revealed to focus less on their appearances and tend to work out basically for fun. Brown and Graham (2008) explain that the new generation of models has enhanced men to seriously take the subject of body consciousness. The authors conducted studies with body satisfaction, narcissism and gender orientation as the main variables. The studies were based on proven hypotheses which explained the high femininity scores of gay gym men as compared to their straight counterparts. Moreover, these men would also score lower with regard to their body satisfaction since they are driven by the urge to be perfect. They tend to have little appreciation for their bodies and, hence, strive to make it perfect as they wish (Oakes et al. 2015). The study explained narcissism among the gym males through considering authority, self absorption, superiority and entitlement. These personal styles would be measured on a narcissistic personality inventory and would be used to quantify the effects of the variable (Cunningham et al. 2014). The study, consequently, realized that gay gym men are mostly affected by opinions, attitudes and perceptions of the society. Additionally, the group tend to have less appreciation of their natural bodies and, therefore, work extra hard in their work out sessions. They aim to have narcissistic comments such as I am better than others in order to be easily appreciated. However, their straight counterparts engaged in the work out sessions mostly for fun. Even though the societys perceptions have an effect on their behavior in the gym, it is not as severe as the one witnessed by their gay counterparts. They also tend to appreciate their natural bodies. The adolescent stage The adolescent stage is an important cycle in the growth of an individual. It is at this stage that an individual begins to witness significant changes in their body resulting in different reactions from the teenagers. In most cases, they usually exhibit little appreciation and regard for their whole body system resulting in most of them subscribing to gym membership. Moreover, the stage also enhances peer pressure and the desire to be like certain individuals in the society at a given time. There is, hence, need to properly care for the population and see to it that the effect does not affect the teenagers. During the stage, girls may be faced with weight issues while the boys desire to develop abs and a particular physical stature. The society encourages this through the media, in particular, which continues to advertise the perceived perfect bodies associated with models. Hormonal growth in the body system may bring about increased eating behaviors amongst the teenagers resulting in weight gain. The problem may be made worse as the teens are usually faced with cases of ridicule by the community members and their peers. The increase in weight is also accompanied by physical inactivity, therefore, making the individual prone to various diseases and illnesses. The teenagers need to be reminded of the need to engage in healthy exercise activities as well as trying to keep up with the society standards and expectations. Nevertheless, they also need to be mindful of their health and wellbeing while taking into consideration the overall impacts of their behaviors (Dragan 2013). The hormonal changes witnessed should be carefully regulated to reduce the impact and effect they have on the behavior of the teens. Ultimately, self control should be exercised in the gym when countering the aspect. The elderly people in the gym In the course of fitness and intense work out sessions, the elderly have not been left behind and have been seen to be actively involved in the programs. They, however, depict different characteristics and require specialized observations when undergoing the sessions. It is important that the elderly people master the techniques and complexities of the gym equipment to enhance their full capacity. Technology, in particular, has been difficult for them to master especially with the recent development of smart gyms. The problem has made it difficult for the elderly to completely take advantage of the equipment. Companies manufacturing the machines have also taken little consideration of the needs and wants expressed by these people. Consequently, it creates the need to come up with proper measures which suggests a more nuanced concept of mastery as a way to address the challenges in designing for elderly users. Culen et al. (2013) explain the aspects of a smart gym with regard to consideration of the impacts and effects they have to the elderly people in the society. The changing demographic development with an increasing elderly population has spurred technological development aimed at technical support for elderly people living longer at home independently (Culen et al. 2013). Developments have been made towards the enhancement of smart gyms at homes and even in the social gatherings. In Norway, for instance, the houses have been fitted with sensors responding to fire, water, light as well as temperature changes. Additionally, the elderly people are provided with tablets which keep track of appointments with the gym instructors. It also allows them to maintain a particular diet which helps in their overall improvement and enhancements of workout sessions. Thus, it is important for other gyms to take into consideration the need for such equipment. It is vital that the elderly people gain access to these services and to allow them to keep fit through work out sessions (Flint and Reale 2016). Moreover, there can also be the introduction of smart houses which can be made available for leasing to allow the elderly in the society access to better methods of keeping fit. Importance of gym membership Gym membership is another important aspect in enhancing the quality of services received by the members. The instructor should try to ensure that there is consistency in the members and the overall creation and maintenance of a rapport between them. The members should be encouraged to develop interpersonal skills that help in their daily interactions. (Leeman and Ong 2008) explain that to maintain current gym members, the operator needs to capitalize on attitudes which favor gym membership. This is according to the theory of reasoned action which focuses on a persons intention to behave in a certain way. In this regard, a person may have a particular intention to behave in a given way especially when in a restricted setting but may not actually go through with it. Thus, their attitudes as well as subjective norms of influential people in the setting need to be analyzed to be able to predict the actual behavior. The attitude of the gym member will depend on their evaluation of a belief as well as the particular strength it draws. The operator needs to make the members understand the belief of working towards a healthy body and mental system. This will be through enforcing the belief of a fit body enhanced through work outs. Additionally, it is also imperative that a sense of continuity is exercised by the members to ensure a continued rapport. This can also be ensured by engaging in team building activities before beginning the particular sessions. The strength of the belief should be reiterated by the gym operator and ensure that the members show utmost consideration for it. A greater strength of the belief will make the people easily believe the concepts and enhance their commitments (Leeman and Ong 2008). The subjective norm has the normative belief which is what one thinks of the societys expectations as well as their motivation to comply. Ultimately, it is the motivation which will deci de the achievement of the member. The operator should try to enhance this motivation through constantly reminding the members of their gym goals and objectives. The goals need to be SMART to allow their easy and considerable achievement. The theory of planned behavior also applies in the given situation to assist in the continued participation of the member. It helps the operator easily predict the behavior of the member and try to enhance and integrate it with the overall achievements exhibited by the gym (Leifman et al. 2011). The theory explains that intention is influenced by how difficult the task is perceived to be and whether the person expects to successfully complete the behavior. This should be taken seriously by the operator to allow the members understand the importance of engaging in activities designed for their wellbeing as well as their physical and mental stature. Dealing with temptations in the gym In the course of one exercising in the gym, the member is bound to face various temptations that inhibit their full concentrations. Such temptations may be in form of their smart phones or unhealthy foods in the area. It is, therefore, important that the members take up various precautionary methods which make them easily deal with the temptations faced in the gym room. Concentration needs to be at optimum level to allow them to achieve their overall gym objectives in the particular period (Vartanian and Lovak 2015). The operator also needs to enhance rules and regulations that will make it easy for the members to overcome the temptations. Self control is an important attribute in the gym and needs to be properly exercised by the members. The trait should be gradually introduced in the system to allow the psychological aspect associated with it to be properly integrated. The trait takes effect on the mind of the individual and needs to be clearly controlled by the member and the operator (Kaushal and Rhodes 2015). The rules set in the gym, additionally, should not be strict that would lead to a controlled system. Studies have shown that such a scenario has the possibility to backfire on the members attitude and perception of the system as a whole (Mor et al. 2015). Milkman et al. (2013) explain that the members with a particular urge to achieve the goal and objective are more likely to overcome the temptations. Moreover, the members who accept their lack of self control can be easily helped and ensure they are successful. The members need to be walked through the whole process of self control and the need to properly focus on their overall goal and objective as well as reiterating their commitment to the gym. Indeed, past research has demonstrated that people value mechanisms that prevent their future selves from making unwise decisions such as procrastinating, thus, any move to help in the current situation is greatly appreciated and valued by the members (Voelker et al. 2015). The operator, therefore, can try to engage in productive behavior that would help the members subsequently engage in productive behavior at all times. Other ways can be used to curb the problem instead of making the offender pay or punish them. Moreover, temptation bundling may be particularly effective if complementarities exist between a temptation item and the healthy behavior it is bundled with (Milkman et al. 2013). Thus, the members can be encouraged to listen to music while exercising to help enhance their mood. Barriers to work out sessions However, there can be various barriers which can affect the overall commitment of an individual to the whole work out exercise. In the case of overweight people and those with obesity, the issue of stigma can be a problem and possibly affect their determination or commitment towards a given exercise action (Ingledew et al. 2009). In the current society, such individuals are usually faced with problems and mockery due to their current status and the community in which they belong in. They are faced with ridicule in schools, employment areas and even in their particular romantic relationships. This piles pressure on the numerous health problems and risks they face such as the type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The societys involvement in the aspect may cause the individual to develop stressful behaviors and possibly engage in overeating and even drug and alcohol abuse. In some cases, it may even be difficult for the people to engage in communal activities as they fear being judged and ridiculed by the people involved. Their physical presence and nature may tend to reduce over time and lead to cases of solitude and loneliness. Children in schools, for instance, become reluctant to engage in physical activities at school because of teasing that they might experience due to their weight. Adults may tend to go for work out sessions and enroll in gyms to ensure that they deal with the problem of overweight and obesity. Research and studies have shown that those who have faced problems of stigmatization in the past tend to put in extra effort when in the gym. The motivating factor which is a desire to overcome the stigma and ridicule in the society causes them to be actively involved in the duties and ultimately make them achieve their goal and objective. The aspect, therefore, becomes a blessing in disguise to their achievement. The internal attitude of the affected individual is also important as it will help dictate the dietary behaviors and commitment of the particular individual (Schrider 2016). It will also help dictate how the affected people will behave towards the society as a whole. Conclusion Ultimately, the issue of gym sessions and work out programs lies with an individual. It is, nevertheless, important that the individual engages in proper healthy behavior through looking at specific aspects affecting them as well as the societys view on the issue. The perception and attitude of the society is important in the issue since they determine the individuals behavior in the aspects. However, the role of the society should not be overestimated and made a basis for decision. The community as a whole needs to be actively involved through the reduction of possible cases of stigma. Such people need to be encouraged to take up active sessions to make it easy for them to fit in the society. References Brown, J. and Graham, D., 2008. Body satisfaction in gym-active males: An exploration of sexuality, gender, and narcissism. Sex Roles, 59(1-2), pp.94-106. 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