The world continues to be gripped by a crisis of physical inactivity. Despite decades of sophisticated health promotion, a 'paradox of exercise' exists (Lieberman, 2019) with many people remaining insufficiently active despite knowing that exercise and physical activity (PA) are beneficial to health.

This practical workshop is designed for allied health professionals, educators and coaches interested in the facilitation of health through increased PA. It is focused on the use of personal meaning and enjoyment as a basis for making decisions about the enhancement of physical (and mental) health. The workshop will be organised in two parts:

In Part 1, participants will explore three reasons that contribute to the paradox of exercise. The first is a prescription problem, as most health promotion consists of health experts telling people what to do. The second is a perception problem, as the term 'exercise' has many negative connotations and often driven by feelings of guilt, obligation, and compliance. The third is an evolutionary problem that stems from being well adapted for endurance PA, but also for physical inactivity. According to Spence (2022), these problems are best addressed by using autonomy supportive methods that enhance the subjective 'ownership' of health goals (Ryan & Deci, 2017). 

In Part 2, a remedy to these problems will be presented by outlining a new 4-stage model of health change, the Health Activation Process (HAP; Spence, 2022). This model is founded on the assumption that human are innately active creatures and that people, from the earliest stages of life, derive great enjoyment from moving their bodies in space. Unfortunately, with the progression to adulthood and a complication of personal concerns, these inclinations are easily lost through a reprioritisation of goals. As such, HAP seeks to help people restore or reinforce that connection and inspire a more active approach to living.

After attending this workshop, participants will:

• have a nuanced understanding of the paradox of exercise
• understand what creates resistance to PA-oriented health change
• possess a compelling rationale for ‘taking enjoyment seriously’
• be familiar with a simple model for facilitating change in self or others
• understand the integrative evidence-base that underpins HAP (e.g., Baumeister et al, 2016; Hawkins et al, 2020; Rollnick et al, 2010; Ryan & Deci, 2017)
• have explored selected case studies (drawn from Spence & Spence, 2022) that illustrate key aspects of the model
• have another viable tool for working positively with clients, or themselves