THE USE OF ORGANIC EXERCISE SELF-TALK BY FEMALE ADOLESCENTS

Self-talk, a form of self-regulation has been demonstrated to influence behavior in both sport and exercise settings. The purpose of this study was to explore exercise organic self-talk by female adolescents through focus groups and determine if self-talk differed between frequent exercisers and less frequent exercisers. The sample consisted of 28 females in grades 9 through 12 from a Canadian secondary school. Physical activity levels were measured using Item 7 from the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A) and participants were group based on their scores on the 5-point Likert scale (less frequent exercisers 1-2, frequent exercisers 3-5). Preliminary evidence was provided that exercise frequency relates to the content, context, and characteristics of teen girls’ self-talk. The self-talk of frequent exercisers tended to focus on self-presentational concerns less than their less frequent exercising peers’, while demonstrating stronger and more consistent levels of self-efficacy and beliefs in outcome expectancy. In addition, in comparison to their less frequent exercising peers who employed spontaneous and negative self-talk most frequently, frequent exercisers were more likely to report motivational and positive statements. Overall, the results indicated that organic self-talk provides a picture of teen girls’ thoughts and attitudes towards exercise and may have an influential effect on exercise behavior.