Penn Medicine: Choosing Personal Exercise Goals, Then Tackling Them Immediately is Key to Sustaining Change

From Penn Medicine: PHILADELPHIA— When people set their own exercise goals – and then pursue them immediately – it’s more likely to result in lasting positive changes, according to a new study at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The results of this research are especially important because they were found among an underserved population that is at particularly high risk of having or developing heart conditions. The study was published in JAMA Cardiology. “Individuals who select their own goals are more likely to be intrinsically motivated to follow through on them,” said Kevin Volpp, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE). “They feel like the goal is theirs and this likely enables greater engagement.” Read the full story in Penn Medicine.