Motivating elders to initiate and maintain exercise11No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the authors(s) or upon any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated

Phillips EM, Schneider JC, Mercer GR. Motivating elders to initiate exercise. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85(Suppl 3):S52–7. This article addresses the motivation of elders to initiate exercise. It is part of the study guide on geriatric rehabilitation in the Self-Directed Physiatric Education Program for practitioners and trainees in physical medicine and rehabilitation and geriatric medicine. This article specifically focuses on the health benefits of exercise, describes a theoretical model for assessing and improving an individual's motivation to pursue exercise, details the particular challenges elders face in initiating and adhering to an exercise program, and outlines professional interventions to address these obstacles. Overall article objective To explore the particular challenges elders face in motivation to exercise and to develop a systematic approach for counseling elders toward greater activity.