Allied Dumbar National Fitness Survey - Essay Example

Allied Dumbar National Fitness Survey Question Optimism bias Optimism bias is something close to self righteousness. Like a self righteous person, a person who suffers from optimism bias can identify the issue but believes that he is not part of the problem but other people are. With regard to exercising and fitness, most people are likely to believe that they are okay and that physical exercise is for other people. This kind of optimism bias arises from the fact that the individual is very focused on the desired end result without looking into the process of getting there.

Wrong perception of what physical activity isAs Diamant (1991) says, most people also have the wrong perception of what activity is. From a health point of view, physical activity is activity that allows a person’s body to metabolize and therefore aid in improving blood circulation, energy utilization etc. Unfortunately, for most people, this is not what activity is and most people therefore end up believing that they are active, while they are not.Wrong perception of what exercise isThe other problem is the problem of wrong perception of what exercise is.

Most people regard exercise as anything that makes them physically tired. This however is not the right definition of exercise. It is possible for one to feel fatigued and tired and still not have participated in any kind of exercise. Because many people, even these who spend the whole day sitting on their desk, feel fatigued by the close of the day, they are likely to consider this as exercise and consider themselves physically active while the truth is that they are not.With regard to a majority of people considering themselves fit, this is also another part of the self righteousness and optimism bias.

Most people consider themselves fit even if it is clear that they are not. It is hard for most people to admit that they are not fit, and therefore as long as these people are not on the extreme side of obesity, they will consider themselves to be in good shape, even if from a clinical point of view they are not.Question 2Again, in this case, the issue of wrong perception of what exercise and what fitness is comes in, albeit in a different way. This category of people tends to believe that physical activity is sporting and therefore do not consider the health aspect of it.

In their view, physical activity is like a hobby, or an occupation that should only be done by those who are fit to do it (Allen, 2005). The first intervention for this group people therefore is to educate them on the health impact of health and to let them know that exercise and physical exercise is for everybody and not just for the athletic people. These people would definitely need to be informed about the direct relationship between their level of activity and their health in the present as well as in the past.

At the same time, because it is clear that this category of people may not feel confident to do the exercise in an open environment where they feel that they are out of place, it might help the assist them have private areas where they can do their own exercise, such as asking them have a treadmill in their own homes as opposed to going to the gym.BibliographyAllen, M. (2005). Sports, Exercise, and Fitness: A Guide to Reference and Information Sources. London, UK: Libraries Unlimited.Diamant, L. (1991). Psychology of Sports, Exercise, and Fitness: Social and Personal Issues.

London, UK: Taylor & Francis.