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‘I don't want to be, feel old’: older Canadian men's perceptions and experiences of physical activity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 July 2018

Laura Hurd Clarke ,
Lauren Currie  and
Erica V. Bennett
Laura Hurd Clarke*
Affiliation:
School of Kinesiology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Lauren Currie
Affiliation:
School of Kinesiology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Erica V. Bennett
Affiliation:
School of Kinesiology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Relatively few older adults are physically active despite extensive research exploring barriers and facilitators and concomitant interventions designed to enhance participation rates. Building on the growing literature that considers the subjective experience of being physically active, we explored the meanings that older Canadian men attributed to physical activity broadly defined. Thus, we examined their experiences and perceptions of exercise, sport and/or leisure-time physical activities. Data are presented from qualitative interviews with 22 community-dwelling Canadian men aged 67–90. Our analysis resulted in three overarching categories that subsumed the men's understanding of physical activity. ‘I do it for my health’ described how the men stated that their primary reason for engaging in exercise was to maintain their health and body functionality so that they could age well and continue to participate in sport and leisure. ‘It feels good’ referred to the various ways that the men derived pleasure from being active, including the physical sensations, psychological benefits and social connections they derived from their participation. ‘It gets tougher’ detailed the ways that the men were finding physical activity to be increasingly difficult as a result of the onset of health problems, declining body functionality and the social realities of ageing. We discuss our findings in light of the extant literature concerning age relations, ageism, and the third and fourth ages.

Keywords

older mensportexerciseleisure-time physical activitysubjective experienceage relationsageismthird and fourth ages
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 40 , Issue 1 , January 2020 , pp. 126 - 143
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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