Fitness as an active form of spending free time by women of Tarnów

Abstract

Physical activity of women is an important element of a healthy lifestyle, therefore it was decided to diagnose this problem in the group of women living in Tarnów, which is an average size city in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (Małopolska Province). The study was aimed at determining motivation and the social and demographic profile of women participating in one of more interesting forms of physical recreation which fitness is. Popularity of its specific forms has been determined and barriers identified which significantly hindered participation in the classes. The study was conducted in 2010 with the diagnostic poll method in which the questionnaire technique has been used with the questionnaire survey used as the study tool. The age of the questioned was determined in the research, which turned out to be highly varied, from below 20 to above 50 years of age. The participants in the fitness classes were usually women with higher and secondary education. Students and women working in education were dominant in the groups or were in free professions. Most of the participants in the fitness classes were quite well-to-do. The main reason of participation in the classes in case of over half of the women of Tarnów was improvement of physical body and appearance and improvement in mental and emotional state. The most popular form of the classes was BPU in which the highest number of women participated. Women arrived in the classes in the company of their friends or family members. Numerous barriers appeared in practising physical recreation by the women of Tarnów which hindered participation in the fitness classes. They usually were related to health, economy or lack of free time. The study proved, on the one hand, high interest of women in participation in physical exercises, and on the other hand it allowed determining the barriers which make the above activity difficult.