Everyone who is trying to maintain a health lifestyle has to find a way to stay motivated. It’s a struggle to stay dedicated whether you’ve lost your first 3 inches or you’re well on your way to your healthy lifestyle goal. Motivation really is simply having the will to do what’s right even when you don’t feel like it
First, you need to take it slow and a day at a time. Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Whatever your healthy lifestyle goal is, you need to resolve to dedicate yourself to it entirely. Give yourself little rewards such as a new CD, new shoelaces, masssage, or a manicure for sticking with your exercise program.

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In addition to the aspartame scare, there are a few other health hoaxes making the rounds of the Internet. If you haven’t received them already, they may soon be coming to an e-mail box near you.

Headless Chickens

My daughter told me about a forwarded message that she recently received from a friend. The report falsely claimed that a leading fast food restaurant “does not use real chickens. They actually use genetically manipulated organisms.”

According to this fraudulent report, these genetically manipulated organisms have no beaks, feathers, or feet. Their bone structure is allegedly shrunk to produce more meat. The pseudo-chickens are purportedly kept alive by “tubes inserted into their bodies to pump blood and nutrients throughout their structure.”

I tracked down the University web site that is mentioned in the study and found,

“The hoax includes reference to an unspecified study … done at the University of New Hampshire and there is no such research or study that was done here. When you read the message carefully you can see it has all the hallmarks of a hoax. It starts with a well known subject…and a timely topic…and then spins out a story that progresses from possible, to improbable, and finally to impossible.”4

Flesh-Eating Bananas

Another e-scare cites a study at the fictitious Manheim Research Institute. According to the e-mail, a shipment of Costa Rican bananas was found to contain “necrotizing fasciitis” which is bacteria more widely known as the “flesh-eating” disease. This claim completely false according to the Centers for Disease Control, and the “Manheim Research Institute” has yet to be located. Web site information from both the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control reassure consumers that “the bacteria cannot survive long on the surface of a banana.” 5

Scary Shampoo and Toxic Toothpaste

The American Cancer Society has also published an article to refute cancer scare rumors that have surfaced online. This particular rumor advises consumers to check the ingredients on shampoo and toothpaste labels for the substance, Sodium Laureth Sulfate.

The e-scare hysterically warns that Sodium Laureth Sulfate is so strong that it “is used to scrub garage floors…and is proven to cause cancer in the long run.”

The truth is that Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate are common cosmetic detergents used in products such as shampoos and toothpaste to create cleansing bubbles.

According to The American Cancer Society, these ingredients “do not cause cancer.” Furthermore, an expert panel of the Cosmetic Ingredient Review committee concluded, “On the basis of available information…Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Ammonium Laureth Sulfate are safe as presently used in cosmetic products.”6

Breaking the Chain

As with all information on the Web, it pays to thoroughly inspect any gift horse that comes your way. That helpful e-mail touting the latest cure-all may really be carrying inaccurate or even dangerous information.

Cyber chain letters thrive because people continue to pass them along. These letters generally end with the admonition to pass on this “news” to all the people you know. Just as my friend unwittingly passed along the aspartame scare to alert me to what she thought was a real danger, most people continue to forward these hoaxes out of genuine concern for family and friends.

Awareness is the key to breaking the chain of e-scares on the Web. When you receive an e-mail with a health warning read it carefully. Has it already been forwarded multiple times before reaching your inbox? Does it make outlandish claims or cite organizations you’ve never heard of?

Before you send the dubious message to others, check it out. Consider the source. Verify the contents. Visit the web site of a reputable organization to see if they have information or a disclaimer about the message.

For example, if the e-mail contains a cancer warning, stake out the American Cancer Society. If it implies a diet scare, call on the experts at American Dietetic Association.

The theory of reasoned action (Chapter 6, p.213) also has implications for marketing strategies. The theory states that a given behavior is primarily determined by a person’s intention to perform that behavior. Intention to perform the behavior is, in turn, determined by two factors: the person’s attitude toward the behavior (i.e., beliefs about the outcomes of the behavior and the importance of these outcomes) and the influence of the person’s social environment (i.e., beliefs about what other people think the person should do and the person’s motivation to comply with the opinions of others). The theory of reasoned action suggests that fitness professionals need to be concerned about intention, beliefs about the outcomes, importance of the behavior (intrinsic self-relevance) and the social environment (situational self-relevance) at each stage.

The final theory in Chapter 6 is social support theory. This theory states that people frequently require social support in one of four ways to move from one stage to the next. Social support can come in the following ways:

1. Instrumental support, such as providing a means to undertake the sport or exercise (babysitting or a ride to the location)

2. Informational support, such as providing instructions on how to perform the behavior

3. Emotional support, such as encouraging the individual to keep performing the behavior

4. Appraising support, such as providing feedback and reinforcement.

Like the relapse prevention model, social support theory appears to address low-involvement situations. Thus, providing social support will not likely have a lasting impact unless individuals become positively involved with the activities that they have adopted.

Means-end chain models. Consequences of exercise participation appear to be important considerations when designing fitness marketing strategies. Therefore, it is not surprising that many of the theories in Chapter 6 focus on this aspect of the means-end chain. One component of the health belief model, for example, stipulates that people’s health-related behaviors depend on their perceptions of the consequences. The theory of reasoned action suggests that an individual’s beliefs about the outcomes of the behavior (consequences) are a critical factor. This theory also states that the value of the outcomes to individuals must be considered when assessing their attitude about exercise. The theory of reasoned action pulls out psychosocial consequences as a special consideration. One researcher comments, “Generally speaking, it appears that in order for a person to perform a given behavior, one or more of the following must be true:

1. “The person must have formed a positive intention (or made a commitment) to perform the behavior;

2. “There are not environmental constraints that make it impossible to perform the behavior;

3. “The person has the skills necessary to perform that behavior;

4. “The person believes that the advantages (benefits, anticipated positive outcomes) of performing the behavior outweigh the disadvantages (costs, anticipated negative outcomes);

5. “The person perceives more social pressure to perform the behavior than to not perform the behavior;

6. “The person perceives that performance of the behavior is more consistent than inconsistent with his or her self-image, or that its performance does not violate personal standards that activate negative self-actions;

7. “The person’s emotional reaction to performing the behavior is more positive than negative;

8. “The person perceives that he or she has the capabilities to perform the behavior under a number of different circumstances.”2

Some aspects of social learning theory also point to values as a driving force in behavioral reinforcement. Experiencing a feeling of accomplishment, for example, is a value, as is experiencing gratification from attaining a personal milestone.

The involvement model. The involvement model addresses the issue of self-relevance as a factor that drives behavior. If people see the relevance of the active lifestyle for themselves, then they will be more motivated to undertake the key behaviors at each adoption stage, and thus progress toward the ultimate behavior of participation. Two theories in Chapter 6 relate to the issue of involvement. One, social learning theory, supports the notion of intrinsic self-relevance. The other relates to the ecological approaches that support, in part, situational self-relevance.

The central tenet of social learning theory is the concept of self-efficacy (described as “expertise” in Figure 3). Researchers have found that the feeling of competence is a major adoption and maintenance criterion. People must believe in their capability to perform the behavior and must perceive an incentive to do so. Fitness professionals are not addressing self-efficacy (or expertise) sufficiently. Poor instructors and incompatible environments are significant barriers to adoption.

The ecological approaches (Chapter 6, p.214) focus on the situational context. These approaches suggest that supportive environments need to be created for people to undertake active behavior, such as parks, bike paths and incentives to encourage people to walk or bike to work.

Research findings

Table 2 summarizes the findings from worksite and health club studies. It appears that the lower down people are on the ALSAM, the more doubts they have about the benefits of exercise. It is not that they totally disagree with the importance of exercise, it is that they do not appear to be as convinced as those who are higher up in the stages. Those lower down on the ALSAM are especially prone to wonder if exercise is worth it in the end.

The studies also show that wanting to lose or maintain weight seems related to the importance that an individual places on exercise. Weight is a visible stimulus and, for some people, a constant reminder that they are in poor condition. Those not interested in the active lifestyle message appear less concerned about their weight. Thus, they may lack this constant reminder. This is probably why the “lose weight” ads do so well in keeping some people involved in exercise, while others appear oblivious to the relationship between weight and exercise. If people are conscious of their weight, they will continue to try to do something about it. This feeling, however, seems to subside with age. Older subjects are less likely to be stimulated to exercise because of their weight and more likely to be concerned about their quality of life.

Another finding was that individuals who have been committed to exercise or sports for a reasonably long time have generally always been active. Those lower down on the scale (except the pre-contemplation groups) have tried several times to get a program established. Those falling in the non-committed category indicated considerable on/off efforts at exercising. Almost a quarter of the committed short-term group were on their first real program and appeared to have had fewer attempts at getting started. The committed long-term participants were the most frequent participants and the uncommitted were the least frequent participants. There is a high relationship between level of commitment and frequency of participation.

Highly committed individuals are slightly more likely to use counter-conditioning and stimulus strategies to keep exercising, although almost all level of activities seem to use counter-conditioning. Those lowest on the ALSAM scale do not appear to try to avoid environments that promote inactivity. The most important factor is motivation. The more highly-committed people simply have fewer problems with motivation. They enjoy exercise, are more convinced about its benefits and are more knowledgeable about it. Other differences between individuals at various phases of ALSAM are provided in Table 2.

Active lifestyle marketing implications

There is a debate over whether stages of adoption models actually describe reality. However, they serve as an excellent mechanism for framing how people adopt active lifestyle behaviors, and are excellent guides for designing active-lifestyle marketing messages. The means-end chain is a wonderful guide when it comes to understanding how perceived consequences drive behavior. By relating active lifestyle attributes to self-relevant consequences, values, goals and needs, people form hierarchical knowledge structures called means-end chains. The attributes of some types of exercise programs or sports are strongly linked to important consequences and values. The attributes of other sports or exercise programs are only weakly associated with self-relevant consequences. Researchers refer to these as high- and low-involvement connections. The experience of involvement (self-relevance) is a cognitive connection that stimulates strong affective emotions. Situational factors can also influence the content of activated means-end chains of knowledge. This in turn may affect the involvement people experience when choosing which sport or exercise types to pursue.

By using these three frameworks in conjunction with the summaries of theories and data provided in the 1996 Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, you will have a good start on the type of knowledge needed to develop effective and targeted marketing campaigns.

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Most of us have heard that people with a rare sensitivity to aspartame-
phenylketonurics-should definitely restrict intake of this sugar substitute. But to go beyond that fact and suggest that this common sweetener may be deadly was worrisome enough for my friend to pass along the warning.

Equally alarming, was the e-mail’s dire proclamation linking Nutrasweet® and Equal® to a supposed “epidemic” of multiple sclerosis (MS) and lupus. The message was particularly ominous to me because of my MS diagnosis several years ago. In addition, I’ve been a regular consumer of diet colas containing aspartame. And how many times have I poured these sugar substitutes into my coffee in the never-ending quest to limit calories?

Could any of this be true? Could my morning cup of java and my daily fix of diet cola have directly caused my MS?

According to credible health organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration and the American Medical Association, the answer is a definitive “no.”

In fact, an FDA Consumer magazine report asserts aspartame’s safety for the general population as “one of the most thoroughly tested and studied food additives the agency has ever approved” with “more than 100 toxicological and clinical studies.” 1

As I continued to check out the contents of the e-mail message, I discovered that this was just one example of a growing cyber-chain of hoaxes that link real health concerns to misinformation; and then forward the frightening permutation from one online inbox to another.

Consider the Source

It turns out that this particular “e-scare” has been flooding Internet mailboxes for well over a year now. Since the message associated the so-called “World Environmental Conference” with the reputable Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, I checked the Foundation’s site to determine their position on the issue. In short, the MS Foundation denies any relationship with this “Conference” and says,

“In summary, this series of allegations . . . are almost totally without foundation. They are rabidly inaccurate and scandalously misinformative.”

In checking with another established and reliable authority-the National Multiple Sclerosis Society-I found a clearly stated position that “none of the claims in the article were supported by scientific evidence”3

The lesson here is clear: consider the source. Always check healthcare information you receive online with trustworthy sources. If a scientific study or an organization is cited, check it out. It’s easy enough to find an organization online-if it truly exists. Fortunately, there is a wealth of data on the Web that can help you verify the veracity of these claims.

Unfortunately, the motives behind the creation and dissemination of these inaccurate and misleading reports are uncertain. How and why do these online health scares get started in the first place?

An E-Scare Is Born

With the advent of the Internet and messaging technology, we are living in an always-connected, 24/7 existence. The capability to spread misinformation with the speed of a plague has meant that old-fashioned chain letters have been trumped by new-fangled cybermail. In short, an electronic Internet hoax can reach substantially more people than a handwritten letter making the snail mail rounds of the postal system.

Internet hoaxes and other “urban legends” generally give the reader pause, because at first glance, there seems to be a kernel of truth to the missive. Typically, the fraudulent report will provide references to vague scientific studies, or mention a well-known product or manufacturer.

Many of these messages are formulated around a topic that may have been in the news recently, or is known to be of concern to consumers.

For example, the recent discovery of genetically altered corn found in some brands of taco shells is a real story of true concern to consumers. A prankster could use that news story as the basis of an e-mail hoax; embellishing the report with fabricated statistics, dubious scientific references, and outright lies.

Several of the theories presented in Chapter 6 of the Surgeon General’s Report apply to various aspects of one or more of the three frameworks just described. This section addresses the application of the theories to each framework as if the frameworks are not linked to each other. However, keep in mind that these frameworks are intricately intertwined. Thus, there is some overlap in theory application since each framework supports the others.

Stages of adoption models. Learning theory provides the theoretical justification for stages of adoption models (see Chapter 6, p.211). Learning theories emphasize that a new behavior, such as changing a sedentary lifestyle to an active one, requires modifying many small behaviors that contribute to the overall complex behavior. To keep people moving forward toward the ultimate desired behavior, learning theorists suggest a system of rewards. The theory is simple in its approach: complete a step and get a reward, then complete the next step and get a reward, and so on. A properly designed marketing strategy using behavior modification theories can be effective if the correct rewards are directed at the appropriate stages.

The transtheoretical perspective acknowledges that human behavior often entails a bit more cognitive activity (Chapter 6, p.213). A different “process of change” is used at each stage. A process of change is an activity that an individual can use to modify thinking, behavior or feelings about sport and exercise. It is the therapist’s job, or, in this case, the fitness marketer’s job, to encourage the correct change processes at each specific stage.

Psychotherapy research suggests that six change processes are applicable to changing sedentary behavior. These are provided in Table 1. As would be expected, if people are at the precontemplation stage, none of the change processes are activated. Most people in the U.S. appear to be aware that they should be physically active, however undertaking exercise is not a priority. Thus, fitness marketing and its immediate relevance to those in the pre-cognitive phase remains unnoticed and is ignored at the unconscious level. People move to the awareness and comprehension stage after some form of “consciousness raising.” That is, they recognize the self-relevance of the message and understand how it fits with their personal needs. The marketing task here is to stimulate consciousness-raising by prodding self-evaluation. During the action stages (evaluation, decision and trial), an individual moves through the stages toward the active lifestyle. Self-liberation, contingency management and helping relationships are all processes that people can use to help them adopt new behaviors. Finally, the individual will reach the adoption and maintenance stages. Counter-conditioning and stimulus control are valuable processes at these stages for preventing relapse. (See “Change process definitions” in Table 1.)

The main lesson from learning theory is that it is sometimes possible to keep people moving forward through the stages by offering rewards at each step. The reward strategy involves creating positive consequences for breaking habitual behaviors that are often satisfying, and undertaking new, initially not-so-satisfying behaviors. This is an external motivation strategy and can quite often move people into action in the short-term.

The health belief model, on the other hand, generally assumes that people must be internally motivated to progress through the stages. In this case, the threat of disease acts as the internal stimulant, and individuals must feel personally susceptible to a disease to really feel motivated to change their behavior. An individual must also perceive that there are benefits to taking preventive action that outweigh the perceived barriers. This implies a marketing strategy designed to stimulate thoughts about the perceived health threats if an individual does not perform that behavior.

At each stage, there is a major problem of relapse. The relapse prevention model (Chapter 6, p.213) addresses this directly by identifying factors that contribute to relapse and suggesting intervention strategies. So, whereas other models suggest processes to move people forward, the relapse prevention model focuses more on preventing people from sliding back. Factors contributing to relapse include:

1. Negative emotional state

2. Limited coping skills

3. Social pressure

4. Interpersonal conflict

5. Limited social support

6. Low motivation

7. High risk situations

8. Stress

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Fitness professionals should understand the cognitive and affective aspects of these relationships between the individual and the active lifestyle. For instance, middle-aged adults who are “into” windsurfing may link the general attributes of windsurfing (difficult, fun) to important self-relevant consequences (self-respect because of superior athletic competence, envy from peers for being in such good shape, feelings of youthful vigor, etc.). Marketing strategies can help create and maintain meaningful individual active-lifestyle relationships and modify those means-end relationships that are not optimal. One challenge is to find attributes that people will connect to important consequences and values, thus moving them through the adoption phases.10

Exercise providers are quite familiar with the strategy of strengthening an individual’s intrinsic self-relevance via the “you need to lose weight” approach. However, this will only work on the segments of consumers who perceive self-relevance in this. That is, they believe that they are overweight and that there is a negative consequence to being overweight. Given the huge numbers of overweight Americans and the emphasis placed on thinness in this country, it is understandable why the “lose weight” approach has the potential to stimulate self-relevance in a sizable portion of the overweight market.

Many strategies are capable of creating, modifying or maintaining consumers’ situational self-relevance. A summer promotion encouraging people to exercise so that they will look good in summer clothes is a situational factor that may temporarily raise consumers’ involvement in exercise programs. Special pricing strategies, including cash rewards, may function as situational influences that create a temporary increase in the movement of individuals from one stage of the adoption model to the next. Another source of situational self-relevance is a social cause.8 Walking for breast cancer research, biking for muscular dystrophy funds, and other links between exercise and good causes can temporarily motivate sedentary people into action.

Situational self-relevance depends on the characteristics of the activity and the situational context, and is often temporary. The connection between a health club and its ability to solve an individual’s problem may disappear when a promotion ends. And, situational self-relevance will also depend on the connection between an individual’s own characteristics and the type of active lifestyle that is being promoted. Thus, promotions that take advantage of a situational context may not capture all of the people who are at the “ready” stage if circumstances (psychological or environmental) do not permit them to act on the promotion. This is why situational-type promotions are offered at regular and ongoing intervals.

More general aspects of the physical environment can also influence situational self-relevance. The holiday season can make exercise more personally relevant and desirable (overeating leads to a few extra pounds that an individual wants to take off). This makes a search for a suitable physical activity environment relevant and involving for consumers. Individuals will be more likely to notice special promotions because the problem-recognition stage is now at the forefront of their consciousness due to a specific situational context.

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There is controversy over whether the notion of stages is appropriate at all because the model implies purposive or deliberate cognitive activity. In reality, people may skip many stages and adopt a behavior without much apparent thought. However, the adoption schemes are useful concepts that can help explain a perceived reality. In this respect, they have important active lifestyle marketing implications.

The means-end framework. What motivates people to move from one stage to the next? The means-end chain model provides a mechanism to understand these motivational factors. The basic idea of the means-end chain theorizes that people combine three types of knowledge to form a simple associative network, called a means-end chain (see Figure 2).18 One type of knowledge concerns the concrete and abstract characteristics of an active lifestyle product. Specific forms of active lifestyles (e.g., jogging, windsurfing, weightlifting, aerobics) have very distinctive attributes. Some attributes are tangible (fast/slow, build muscle, strengthen the heart, etc.), while others are intangible and often subjective (running is a mindless activity, windsurfing is exhilarating). Surprisingly, very little research has been done on attribute knowledge structures of specific types of activities. It is not known, for example, which attributes of different sports or exercise programs are important to people, what they mean to people, and how people use attribute knowledge in comprehension and decision making.

The second type of knowledge concerns the functional and psychosocial consequences of participating in physical activity. Consequences are often conceptualized in terms of benefits and risks, and are outcomes that occur when an individual chooses to run, play tennis or use a fitness facility. Researchers believe that consumers are often motivated by consequences, so for this reason, many of the theories in Chapter 6 have a consequence emphasis.9

The third type of knowledge is about the personal and symbolic values that specific types of active lifestyles help people satisfy (e.g., wanting to be successful). Values are broad life goals and often involve an emotional component (called affect) associated with meeting or not meeting these goals. For example, strong emotions accompany success or lack of success. There are many ways to classify values, but one useful scheme identifies two levels of values: instrumental and terminal.15 Instrumental values are preferred modes of conduct (having a good time, acting independent, showing self-reliance, showing competence). In essence, these values suggest ways of behaving that have positive value for an individual. Terminal values are preferred states of being or broad psychological states (e.g., feeling happy, at peace or successful). Certain values that are referred to as core values are central to an individual’s self-concept. The self-concept consists of specific knowledge that individuals have about themselves.3

So, the means-end chain suggests that individuals link knowledge about the attributes of the active lifestyle with knowledge about consequences and knowledge about values.11 Added to this mix is the affective or emotional component that interacts with the knowledge structures. An affect-altered knowledge structure can influence cognitive processes and, subsequently, behavioral choices. The difficulty in designing a successful marketing strategy using this framework becomes clear.

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The frameworks

Three important frameworks can help to design and implement any marketing strategy. One framework encourages the idea of stages which people move through when adopting a behavior. In the fitness industry, the behavior is participation in a sport or exercise program. A second framework proposes that an associative network of knowledge called a means-end chain guides an individual’s behavior. The means-end chain helps to explain how people might be motivated to adopt a specific form of active lifestyle behavior. The third framework encompasses the concept of involvement. This concept helps to understand the relationship between self-relevance and the desire to change or maintain specific types of behavior.

Following is an overview of each framework, as well as a discussion on the theories in Chapter 6 of the Surgeon General’s Report and how they aid in understanding the frameworks. Also included is a summary of research findings that suggest strategies for marketing the active lifestyle.

Stage of adoption framework. The stages of adoption framework suggests that people will adopt a sport or exercise program in a series of phases. Figure 1 illustrates an Active Lifestyle Stages of Adoption Model (ALSAM). This model is based on qualitative and quantitative data from a variety of sources, including theoretical models commonly used in business literature, the transtheoretical model from health literature (see Chapter 6, p.213) that was developed out of research in psychotherapy, data from several worksite programs, a health club interest study and a windsurfing participation study. The ALSAM consists of two broad phases: active and inactive. Within each of these phases, the several adoption stages are all relevant to marketing strategy design.

Stages of adoption models, including ALSAM, have several similarities. First, they all propose that exercise or sport adoption is not an instantaneous or random event. There are antecedents to adoption, which are the cognitive stages (awareness, comprehension, interest, evaluation, decision, trial, etc.) that people pass through on their way to adopting physical activity. Thus, your marketing strategies should help motivate people to move through each stage. Encouraging the adoption of a behavior via the stage approach is thought to be the most effective way to encourage adoption and maintenance of the desired behavior.

A second similarity among stages of adoption models is that they state that people progress through the stages at varying rates. People can move back a stage (or several stages) as well as forward. It is the job of active lifestyle promoters and providers to understand the reasons people slip backward and move forward.

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Defining the problem

Past efforts. In the 1996 Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, Donna Shalala (the Secretary of Health and Human Services) provided a historical overview of the major promotional efforts made by the U.S. government to increase physical activity. According to the report, a national governmental effort in the 1950s encouraged young Americans to be physically active. In the 1970s, another national effort attempted to educate Americans about the cardiovascular benefits of vigorous activity. In the 1980s and 1990s, research began to suggest important links between a physically active lifestyle and good health.

During this time, the non-profit and for-profit sectors were undertaking their own campaigns. For example, the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA), the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the International Dance and Exercise Association now (IDEA, the Health and Fitness Source), and the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PSPFS) all worked to stimulate increased participation in sports and exercise.17,5,1,4,12 Thousands of sporting goods companies, such as Rollerblade, have also pursued aggressive marketing programs to promote the long-term growth of specific sports.16

The problem. A mere handful of active-lifestyle promotional efforts were undertaken. Yet, despite these efforts, the 1996 Surgeon General’s Report indicates that 60 percent of Americans are not regularly active. “Worse yet,” the report states, “25 percent of Americans are not active at all. For young people — the future of our country — physical activity declines dramatically during adolescence. These are dangerous trends. We need to turn them around quickly, for the health of our citizens and our country.”

So, what’s going on? After all of these promotional efforts, why do people not seem to care about being physically active? Did these organizations have ineffective marketing strategists? Did the companies not understand their product: the active lifestyle itself? Is active lifestyle behavior such a complex phenomenon that most people fail to understand it? Or, are researchers doing an inadequate job of sharing active-lifestyle marketing research and strategies to active-lifestyle providers and promoters?

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“The Cloud of Unknowing,” a book written probably during the 14th century, provided practical advice for all individuals desiring “to be knit to God in spirit, in unity of love, and accordance of will.” The author, a monk, most likely remained anonymous because he feared he would be accused of heresy. He believed religion allowed for independent inquiry and individual experience, which at that time were condemned by the church. In his book he wrote that man gained direct knowledge of God by losing all awareness of himself. Referring to his title, the author depicts a passive attitude as the way “to cover,” or forget, all distractions: “Try to cover these thoughts with a thick cloud of forgetting as though they never existed neither for you nor for any other man. And if they continue to arise, continue to put them down.” The author advises using one word, which means the use of a single syllable such as “God” or “love.”

Choose whichever one you prefer, or if you like, choose another that suits your tastes, provided that it is of one syllable. And clasp this word tightly in your heart so that it never leaves it no matter what may happen. This word shall be your shield and your spear whether you ride in peace or in war. With this word you shall beat upon the cloud and the darkness, which are above you. With this word you shall strike down thoughts of every kind and drive them beneath the cloud of forgetting…

He goes on to discuss the element of “dwelling upon” and advises that his readers can develop “special ways, private techniques and spiritual devices” in order to achieve contemplation. He suggests, “it is best to learn these methods from God by your own experience rather than from any man in this life.”

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Is your heart bitter or loving? What do you do to avoid an emotional chaos? Would you consider emotional world around you as healthy or unhealthy?

When you learn how to manage your emotional reactions effectively, you’ll be better able to normalize blood pressure, to lower cholesterol level, to guard body from the threat of hypertension – risky heart diseases, heart attacks and strokes, to nurture your soul and enjoy your emotional life in a new light.