ANTH 53

College Students
Motivation for Increasing
Physical Fitness Level
Ethnography Assignment
Tim Tran
12/1/2014

Ethnography Literature Review

College Students Motivation for Increasing Physical Fitness Levels
The value inherent in ones level of physical fitness continues to assert itself in modern
Western society. Regarding aesthetics, you are more likely to be accepted into social groups if
you possess an adequate level of physique. We have been ingrained with the idea that an ideal
individual should not be too lanky nor too thickly built. Using media as an example, only welltoned, physically fit males are depicted as models for clothing lines since this remains the
golden standard for which all members of the community should strive towards. Furthermore,
the social stigma associated with being a couch potato or otherwise lazy individual is
frowned upon at best, unforgivable at worst. Appearances aside, one should not must only look
the part, but act the part as well. Should others be shown a specimen of exceptional physique, the
physicality is only the initial judgement of the individual itself. Their secondary thoughts might
admire the persons dedication and discipline in keeping their body in peak condition. The
messages given off by an individuals body continue on, and the motivation to attain such a level
of physical fitness lies therein. Conversely, we may also extrapolate the reasons for which
individuals choose not to maintain an adequate level of physical fitness.
Important factors that may dissuade an individual from exercising could include age
(Cicioglu, 2010). The article details the physical fitness levels of elderly males, but the essential
concepts may still be applied to younger subgroups. As one progresses from adulthood into
middle age, the emphasis placed by society on maintaining ones body condition tends to
decrease. This, combined with the increasing limitations of ones body tends to lead to a decrease
in physical fitness levels. In essence, the older you get, the less likely you are to go to the gym.

The journal article serves as a counterpoint to the main argument, helping to explain why
individuals choose not to exercise.
Gender could also play a role in explaining who chooses to exercise. De la Cruz-Snchez
and Pino-Ortega (2010) show that after puberty, males tend to dominate in all categories of
physical fitness other than flexibility. This may indicate that the physiological differences
between males and females tend to exacerbate the inactivity of females, as they are not meant
to be physically fit both evolutionarily and socially.
Laxer and Janssens (2013) work serves as a companion article to that of Ujevi, Spori,
Milanovi, Panteli, & Neljak (2013). Both analyze the conditions in which the subjects live.
The data tends to show that as the level of urbanization decreases, physical fitness increases. This
serves as a counterpoint to the social aspect of motivation, possibly explaining a more practical
application of physical fitness. Subjects from more rural areas tended to have higher levels of
physical activity, as manual labor was far more prevalent than in urban settings. As such, this
relationship serves to provide an alternate explanation as to the reasons for why individuals
exercise.