Women Would Rather Workout for Health than for Beauty

Geezer does not dare to guess what percentage of women suffer from social physique anxiety – a disorder in which someone chronically worries that others are critiquing his or her body– but he knows enough stay far from the subject of body image when women are within earshot. Now researchers at Ohio State University and East Carolina University are also learning the obvious: that women with chronic issues concerning their body-image are more
likely to benefit from an exercise class where the instructor
emphasizes the health benefits of the workout over improved appearance. Science Daily reports on the study, which put 100 women with image issues in two sets of classes, one emphasizing health, one emphasizing beauty. After class each woman filled out a questionnaire measuring how
someone feels after exercising, whether revitalized, physically
exhausted, tranquil, etc. The women also answered questions on the
Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale, whereby each woman rated how much
she enjoyed the class, and whether she would likely participate in a
similar class in the future. Science Daily reports that the results of both surveys
suggested that the instructor’s leadership style directly affected the
student’s attitudes toward the class. The women in the health-oriented
class  felt more engaged in the workout as well as
revitalized and less exhausted after class than did the women in the
appearance-oriented classes. They also said that they also enjoyed the workout
more and would be more likely to take a similar class in the future. Read more in Science Daily.