University Students and Morning Exercise - Essay Example

? and Morning Exercise Introduction The applications of exercise are essential for individuals because of the ability to boost with health. When looking at the number of students which apply basic exercise to boost health, it can be seen that there are specific associations with the activity as well as several who use this as a way of assisting with other given activities. It is known that the health which university students have, specifically when balancing out work and exercise, will directly affect the quality of life, sleep levels and the ability to easily move through studies at a university level (Carney, Edinger, Meyer, 2006). This shows that there is importance to exercising among university students as well as the available options to get through different studies more easily and with the right alternatives for health which are associated with this. While there are associations with the level of health which university students have when exercising, it is also known that there are several ways in which this is prevented and not exercised among students. Many have a mentality while in school of sleeping late and waking up late, dependent on the environment and class schedules. This is combined with the location which one is living in, such as a dorm, apartment or home. The amount of activity is further defined by the day of the week which is expected for exercising, all which can be positively or negatively affected by the amount of exercise which is done as well as whether this is done in the morning or not practiced at all (Dunton, Berrigan, Barbash, 2008). These specific measures show that there are fluctuations among university students in the regular practice of exercise, as well as specific influences which may be related to the social and physical environment which one is in. The importance of exercise among students is important to depict not only because of health measures which are associated with this. There are also other concepts which link directly to the patterns of those in college. This links to the understanding of lifestyle changes and how this is associated with exercise patterns, as well as motivational factors among those in universities. It is expected that university students will gain weight during the freshman and sophomore years, specifically because of mandatory living in the dormitory and the lifestyle changes which may occur. It has been found that this changes the participation of those in the college with the amount of exercise which is done as well as the relationships to motivational factors among the university students for the first two years. It is also known that the motivation of this particular myth leads to self – image responses and changes in behavior among those who begin to exercise when they get to a university (Racette, Deusinger, Strube, 2005). The motivation to exercise as well as the health understandings also relate to the schedules which one keeps. The lifestyle of the university is one which carries specific demands, with most students working within the college schedule and maintaining a job. Social events and other activities also change the way in which most associate with the university setting, with pressures continuously changing the way in which several interact on the campus. It has been found that the university pressures change the amount of exercise and consistency among students, specifically during finals when most students stop exercising consistently. It is also found that there are decreases in the positive affects of students behaviors during this time and the maintenance of a schedule, specifically which is associated with the final examinations and changing pressures among university students (Giacobbi, 2007). The last main motivational understanding which has been conducted with university students is based on self – perception and the affects which this has among university students. The self – perception of women is known to directly relate to the amount of time which is spent exercising. There is a direct psychological relationship on body image and the beliefs which women have about themselves when they get to college. This is enhanced by the associations with others that are in the college setting, myths about the added weight which occurs during the first years of college and the need to fit into a specific environment (Qin, 2002). These perceptions are furthered by other psychological factors which are associated with going into the university and how this should change one’s image in the given settings (Anding, Suminski, 2001). Each of these theories show that there is a direct relationship between exercise and university, associated with motivational factors, environment, psychological beliefs and the physical presence which is a part of the university. However, there isn’t research based on how this is related to the lifestyle that is on the university as well as whether this is triggered by the motivational influences, environment and other factors that are a part of the health regimen of those in the university setting. As lifestyle can be understood as a determinant for exercise, there will be the ability to additionally convey links to the psychological and motivational associations with the environment. The lifestyle is the factor which combines the overall associations with exercise and the practice which is associated with university students. Hypothesis The question of how much university students exercise, what time of day this is done in and the environment which one is in also shows the level of health consciousness that is among university students. It also portrays the lifestyle that most university students have and whether this is related to the environment one is in. When one is in university, it can be expected that the amount of exercise changes, dependent on the place where one lives, time of classes that one has and the schedule that one is on. This is combined with other factors and motivations. This will be specific to the daily activities, social groups and other applications that are common among university students. The dependent factors on exercise are one which leads to questions of how the culture and environment link to individual choices and motivations while in the university setting. This research study will show that the exercise of university students in the morning is not common, specifically because of university schedules among students. A further evaluation will show that exercise among university students takes place after the school schedule is complete and only if there is the correct physical and social environment. Evaluating the determinants of the students and their relationship to the exercise will then consist of the overall environment which they are in and how this links to the capabilities of exercising consistently in the morning. Aims and Objectives The aims of this particular research paper will be to determine the university culture, specifically while looking at the number of university students which exercise in the morning. When looking at this, the research paper will be able to determine the following objectives: Is there a relationship to the physical environment and the consistency of exercising in the morning? Is there a relationship to the social environment and the consistency of exercising in the morning? Do the college and work schedules change when one exercises? Is there a relationship to where one lives and the ability to exercise in the morning? What is the relationship to exercising in the morning and the lifestyle which one has? Methods The methods which will be used for this specific study will be based on evaluating how many college students exercise in the morning as well as how this relates to the other aspects of the environment. This will be combined with both qualitative and quantitative studies to determine the number of students which exercise in the morning as well as what the relationship is to the environment. The quantitative studies will be done over a period of one week and will consist of going to the college gym with a questionnaire. There will be an evaluation of how many students come in at 7:00 and 8:00 to exercise. The number of head counts will be done starting on a Monday and will go through Sunday, specifically to see if there are differences in the date as well as the time schedules which one may have. There will be a standard deviation that will be seen with the different dates. The average number of individuals which go to the gym at 7:00 and 8:00 will be added in and a standard deviation will be assumed with this being the trend for those that go to the gym regularly to exercise. The final quantitative study will use the steps as followed: 1. Go to the college gym at the same time for 1 week (Monday – Sunday). 2. Count the number of individuals that exercise between 7:00 – 8:00 AM. 3. Count the number of individuals that exercise between 8:00 – 9:00 AM. 4. The number of individuals will be counted by noting who goes into the gym and stays in for a minimum of 15-20 minutes, specifically with observing whether the individuals have exercised or only have gone to visit another individual, etc. 5. The number will be added up to show the standard deviation and difference between those who exercise between both time frames. It should be noted that the numbers will be the standard according to the number of students at the college, which currently has 19,400 students on campus. The average number of students which exercise in the morning will be determined by this overall number. The qualitative study will be based on interviewing 20 random students about the exercise habits and the different associations with exercise. The students will be found through a lounge area of a school. Students will be divided first randomly; however, there will be some interviews which will not take place if the student belongs to a grade level which already consists of a certain number of interviews. It is expected that the interview will balance the number of freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors to note the differences in lifestyle according to the college year which one is in. The interview will be inclusive of lifestyle habits, college schedules, social lifestyle and other environmental influences which may change the capacity of exercising in the morning. The qualitative study will be divided specifically to get a wide range of opinions and diverse results from students. This will determine if the hypothesis is correct in showing how the college culture creates a difference in who exercises or doesn’t. If a random number of students are chosen, all which are expected to have different schedules and lifestyles, then it will depict the lifestyle of several students, what the similarities and differences are and whether this affects the exercise habits of each of the individuals. It will further help to determine which percentage of the college population exercises in the morning and how many don’t. To ask students, I will go into a lounge area, wait until one individual comes to study, then will tell them what the interview is about. There will be the option of not taking the survey if the student isn’t comfortable with providing information. There will also be a pledge for confidentiality with all information given when the interview is provided to the student. No other prompting will be needed. Results When examining the number of students which went to exercise on a weekly basis, it was found that there was fewer number of individuals on specific dates. There were also more students at 8:00 AM then at 7:00 AM on the given dates. The results are seen in chart 1. Chart 1: Number of Students Who Exercise in the Morning As can be seen from this chart, there is a slight difference in the number of students which exercise between 7:00 and 8:00. There is also a difference on the dates, specifically with most students exercising on Wednesdays and Thursdays while weekends and Fridays are the times when most students don’t exercise. This shows that there is a general trend which is associated with the lifestyle habits of university students and the ability to exercise in the morning. Another important factor with this particular analysis is based on the number of students that are in the school, which led to the standard deviation of those who exercised. The highest number of days in which students exercised was on Wednesday. However, this still only accounted for 2% of the school population while other days accounted for less than 1% of college students which exercised on any given day. This shows that an insignificant number of students exercise in the morning compared to the entire population. This makes the analysis insignificant and shows that most college students don’t exercise or go to the gym in the morning. The interviews which were conducted were taken from students who lived in different areas and which were asked if they exercised in the morning (see appendix A). The interview had a balance between the level of university students, with 2 students from each year. All were chosen specifically because of the known university level; however, this occurred by finding the levels of classes related to the university level so the information remained random. The average number of credits that were being taken by students was 18, with 75% taking this many. Only 11% were taking 18 credits, 9% were taking 12 credits and 5% were part time students. It was also noted that 87% had jobs that they had to work continuously. The class times of the majority of students was at 10:00 with 67% having their first class at this time. Only 2% had classes at 8:00 and 21% having the classes at 11:00 or 12:00. All but 1 interview had classes ending at 3:00 with 1 stating their classes ended at 5:00. The current evening schedule of students was one which consisted of answers that ranged from work to homework to going out with friends. The majority of students stated that they went out with friends 3xs per week, with 62% stating this answer. 27% stated they went out with friends one time per week and 11% going out 5 or more times. The busiest day of the schedule of 100% of the students was Monday. The living style of the students was also divided with 30% living in a dormitory, 60% in an apartment and 10% stated living in another vicinity. When asked if the students exercised, 67% answered yes and 33% answered no, as seen in graph 2. Graph 2: Do you Exercise When asked the most frequent time of exercise, the answers were divided, with the fewest students answering during the morning and afternoon, and the majority of 42% stating in the evening, as seen in Graph 3. Graph 3: Time of Exercise When asked how many times individuals exercised, the majority answered between 3-4xs, with 70% stating this, 18% stating 1-2xs and 12% stating 6 times per week. The most common day of exercise was equal on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Only 10% stated they exercised on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Discussion The results from this particular study imply that there are differences in the schedule of when an individual practices, specifically which is based on the university schedules. This is not only from the university lifestyle, but also is dependent on the social behavior, environment which one lives in and the physical relationships that are associated with how one lives. Each of these is consistent with both qualitative and quantitative results. The quantitative results showed very few university students coming into the gym and with the majority coming in on Wednesday, similar to the qualitative interview. This was combined with the understanding that the place where one lived, time of the classes and other implications could easily change when one exercised while allowing the morning exercise to become secondary. There are several applications which can relate to the survey which was done and the exercise done among university students in the morning. One is the concept of self – determination theory. For students to exercise in the morning there has to be a sense of determination for this to be done as well as applications related to understanding consequences if it is not done. Being motivated to exercise is one of the direct relationships to whether students choose this as a consistent behavior or not. While most students exercised, there weren’t many who did this with the average expectation of six times per week. The motivation to exercise in the morning was further lessened. The self – determination theory states the actions which one takes is directly associated with the social and physical influences as well as how the surroundings influence the individual, either by determining to go against the environment or to be consistent with others who follow the same pattern (Wilson, Rodgers, Fraser, 2004). When looking at the ideals of motivation, it can be seen that most students are conscious of the need to exercise; however, the surrounding environment and lifestyle continues to influence the capability to do this. Another concept which can be applied is based on the facilities which are available and how these can be used effectively. Home facilities, such as exercise equipment is one of the ways in which many may approach exercise. However, there is also the ability to go to the gym that is in the school or to use exercise facilities that offer extra classes, such as aerobics, for students in the evening. There are other studies which also show that the available facilities increase the amount of exercise done by students who live in closer proximity to the facilities, as opposed to residences which are further away. This may increase the activity and allow the most convenient times to be taken advantage of for the exercise (Reed, Phillips, 2005). The study on the available facilities for students is one which corresponds with the concept of lifestyle among university students in the above study. There was a noticed lifestyle affiliation with most students living in the dormitories or in apartments. There wasn’t the knowledge of whether these apartments were closer to the school vicinity. However, it can be assumed that the number of students which continued to exercise showed that there was convenience of the exercise equipment for exercise while providing students with more capabilities to move into physical activity. It can also be assumed that the close proximity led to specific types of activities that were available at the main university centre, such as the night time classes and aerobics, as opposed to only having the basic exercise equipment available further away from the school. These considerations with lifestyle is one which can change the outcome of how many students participate in activities, as well as whether this is related to the proximity of the health facilities. Recommendations for Further Research While this particular study was able to show how there is a direct relationship between lifestyle and the exercise activities of students, there were also several gaps in the research that can be changed. The first is based on the assumptions which were made between the qualitative and quantitative analysis as well as the missing questions that were based on lifestyle perceptions among students. To draw conclusions that are more specific to the subject, there would need to be an understanding of more of the ideals of those who exercise in the morning and how this is related to the lifestyle habits that are practiced. More depth, interview questions and more individuals who are at the university would need to be looked into so the assumptions about exercise could be evaluated correctly. By gathering more in – depth information, there can be an understanding of the health factors among university students and how this relates to the overall lifestyle in which one has. Other implications also lead to the past knowledge about those who exercise in universities and how this can combine with future research. For instance, there are specific applications about exercise and how this links directly to self – perceptions, especially among women, who are in the different universities. Self – perception and gender are the two driving indicators which lead many to exercise and which cause them to exercise more continuously. It can be seen that this motivational factor is one of the concepts which is related to the environment and how this changes according to what is needed according to those within a given university (Lindwall, 2004). This relates directly to this study by showing that there is a link to the lifestyle choices, perceptions with exercise as well as the self – perception that one has. The question which is raised becomes based on motivational factors among university students and which actions this leads many to while in college. Another application which can be linked into the current study is based on the psychological associations with those who exercise in the morning, as well as how this relates to the university lifestyle. The current study shows that there are small sub – groups which have a certain lifestyle, specifically which links to exercising in the morning. However, the majority of the students doesn’t carry this lifestyle and have different motivational forces which lead to exercising at different times or not exercising at all. The question which arises is based on what forces motivate individuals to move into different schedules, specifically within university settings. There is also a question of how this is related to perceptions of being in the university and the psychological implications that one has in terms of their own lifestyle while in college. This may directly affect the interactions which one has while on campus as well as when in changing environments that relates to academia, such as moving into an apartment instead of a dorm (Lizzio, Wilson, Simons, 2002). This current study shows that there are direct behavioral relationships to the way in which many associate with college. This can be furthered with understanding the motivational and psychological forces in the environment which relate to perceptions of individuals. This particular question can then link to lifestyle choices, understanding of health and the association with exercise during college. The concept of university students exercising in the morning is one which shows that this is not a part of the lifestyle or culture among the majority of students. This may relate to the social and physical environment that is currently a part of the standards of those who are on campus. This may further relate to the understanding that the environment which the students are in has a parallel to the psychological assumptions, motivational factors and the environmental recognition of the students. The several factors which are involved with students not exercising in the morning leads to several questions which pertain to lifestyle choices, education and motivational factors of why university students choose specific actions throughout college. References Anding, JD, RR Suminski. (2001). “Dietary Intake, Body Mass Index, Exercise, and Alcohol: Are College Women following the Dietary Guidelines for Americans?” Journal of American Health 15 (3). Carney, CE, JD Edinger, B Meyer. (2006). “Daily Activities and Sleep Quality in College Students.” Chronobiology 15 (2). Dunton, GF, D Berrigan, R Barbash. (2008). “Social and Physical Environments of Sports and Exercise Reported Among Adults.” Preventative Health 57 (14). Giacobbi, PR. (2007). “Exercise, Affect, and University Students’ Appraisals of Academic Events Prior to the Final Examination Period.” Psychology of Sports and Exercise 42 (3). Lindwall, M. (2004). “The Role of Exercise and Gender for Self Perceptions and Importance Ratings in University Students.” Journal of Medicine and Science 15 (7). Lizzio, A, K Wilson, R Simons. (2002). “University Students Perceptions of the Learning Environment and Academic Outcomes: Implications for Theory and Practice.” Studies in Higher Education 52 (7). Racette, SB, SS Deusinger, MJ Strube. (2005). “Weight Changes, Exercise, and Dietary Patterns During Freshman and Sophomore Years of College.” Journal of American Health 117 (2). Reed, Julian, Allen Phillips. (2005). “Relationships Between Physical Activity and the Proximity of Exercise Facilities and Home Exercise Equipment Used by Undergraduate University Students.” Journal of American College Health 53 (6). Wilson, PM. (2004). “Relationships Between Exercise Regulations and Motivational Consequences in University Students.” Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport 75 (1). Qin, XIE. (2002). “The Relationships Between Physical Self – Perception and Participation of Exercise with University Students.” Journal of Physical Education 57 (8). Appendix A: Interview 1. What year in the university are you in? a. Freshman b. Sophomore c. Junior d. Senior e. Masters 2. How many credits are you taking this semester? a. part time b. 12 c. 15 d. 18 3. Do you have a job? a. yes b. no 4. What time is your first class at? a. 8:00 / 9:00 b. 10:00 c. 11:00 / 12:00 d. other 5. What time is your last class at? a. 1:00 b. 3:00 c. 5:00 d. other 6. What is your current evening schedule? 7. How often do you go out with friends? a. 1 x per week b. 3 xs per week c. 5 or more times per week 8. What is the busiest day of your schedule? a. Monday b. Tuesday c. Wednesday d. Thursday e. Friday 9. Where do you currently live? a. dormitory b. apartment c. at home d. other 10. Do you exercise? a. yes b. no 11. What is the most frequent time of day for you to exercise? a. between 7:00 – 10;00 am b. between 10:00 – 1:00 pm c. afternoon d. evening 12. How many times per week do you exercise? a. 1 - 2 xs b. 3 - 4xs c. 5. 6xs d. 7 or more 13. Which day is the most common day for you to exercise at ? a. Monday b. Tuesday c. Wednesday d. Thursday e. Friday f. Weekends Read More