as having to show others an unfit body, lacking
confidence and competence in core skills or
appearing overly masculine were barriers to
participation
It is generally accepted that physical activity
confers benefits to psychosocial health, functional
ability and general quality of life [1] and has been
proven to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease
[2] and some cancers [3]. Here, physical activity
refers to ‘any bodily movement produced by skeletal
muscles that results in energy expenditure’ [4].
Conditions associated with physical inactivity
include obesity, hypertension, diabetes, back pain,
poor joint mobility and psychosocial problems
[5–7]. Physical inactivity is a major public health
challenge in the developed world and is recognized
as a global epidemic [8]. Within the United States,
the rate of childhood obesity is expected to reach
40% in the next two decades [9] and Type 2
diabetes is expected to affect 300 million people
worldwide within the same time [10].
The UK government has set a target for ‘70%
of the population to be reasonably active (for example
30 minutes of moderate exercise five times
a week) by 2020’ [8, 11] (p. 15). This target could
be described as ambitious; only 37% of men and
24% of women in the United Kingdom currently
meet this benchmark [12]. The Health Survey for
England (HSE) [13] found that the number of
physically inactive people (less than one occasion
of 30-min activity per week) was increasing and
that this trend was consistent for both genders and