| dc.description.abstract | The relationship between body image disturbance and exercise
behaviour was examined. One hundred and fifty five women from
Introductory Psychology completed an exercise inventory, four measures
of body image disturbance, and had their height and weight measured.
The women were divided into three groups based on whether they 1)
participated in aerobic activity only, 2) weight trained in addition to doing
aerobic activity, or 3) did not exercise at all. Aerobic exercise alone was
not associated with less body Image disturbance. In contrast, women
who weight trained in addition to doing aerobic exercise showed
significantly lower scores on the Body Dissatisfaction scale of the Eating
Disorder Inventory > 2. Reasons for exercising were also compared
across groups. Weight training seemed to be associated with a
reduction in negative motivations for exercise such as weight loss and
physical appearance. The potential implications of the findings for the
eating disordered population are discussed. | |
