Reasons for adherence and abandonment of physical activity

Background: The practice of physical activity appropriate to individual conditions and with proper education, brings physical, psychological and social benefits. Objectives: To investigate the main reasons for the adherence and the abandonment of the practice of physical activity. Method: The present work consists of a review study of a propositional type (reflection journal writing) on the reasons of adherence and abandonment to the practice of physical activity. Results: The results showed that among the reasons cited for adherence to physical exercise are the search for: health, aesthetics/physical appearance, socialization, medical order, improvement of physical fitness and quality of life, leisure, well-being, control of corporal weight, competition, pleasure and satisfaction in the practice of exercise, among others. On the other hand, among the reasons for abandonment are: lack of time, laziness, gym distant from the home or work, high cost, influence of the family or media, and work routine. Conclusion: Through the findings, it can be concluded that there is a need for attention by physical education professionals, in addition to the use of efficient strategies to motivate students, with the purpose of getting them to adhere the practice of physical activity and, with that, less people will give up the regular practice of systematized physical activities.