My name is Leonard Green. In 1973 I became interested in the statistic that only 21 percent of the US population exercised enough to get a training effect. At the time I thought there must be a magic bullet to motivate more individuals to lead a healthy/fit life. At this date, 2023, stats are similar – according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) 23 percent of the US population meet the federal guidelines for aerobic and strength training. So for the last 50 years I have been reading & researching the exercise motivation literature, trying to find a solution for increased fitness. I have published research in exercise motivation. Hopefully in this website I can explain simply some of the best methods for starting and sticking with a fitness lifestyle from all my years. One thing I know now is that there is no magic bullet for fitness motivation. There are some generally accepted factors for sustaining fitness for years, but motivation is variable from one person to another.
I have a master’s degree from Florida State U. in Movement Science Education – with emphasis in Sports Psychology. I have been a teacher, a personal trainer & certified strength and conditioning coach (CSCS) at Gold’s Gym, online fitness coach with Healthway’s, tennis instructor, Realtor & US Marine. I am certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, CSCS. I have been a long distance runner since 1969, beginning in Marine boot camp. Before that I did not especially enjoy running which consisted mainly of sprints in sports like basketball & baseball. However, in boot camp running 3 miles in platoon formation with 80 other guys instep became one of the few enjoyments of the camp. It was like being on a locomotive train with a rhythm that motivated long term endurance and relaxation. After my Marine days I continued running long distance and have enjoyed the fitness and benefits of a healthy lifestyle. At the age of 77 now, some of the peak moments in my life have been related to running, biking and sports. For instance, I enjoyed the solitude and beauty of running for a few years on the beaches of Vero Beach, Florida. At low tide the beach was flat and stretched for miles and miles, no cars or people – perfect for getting in a mind set of no finish line.
So with all of the benefits and enjoyment I have had in fitness and sports it seems so foreign to me that many people don’t exercise at all. Anyway, hopefully something I write will help at least one person to begin or sustain their motivation to become or be fit. Much of the fitness motivation research literature stays in libraries and is not widely known to the average person. Thus, I would like this website to be a resource for people to access the variables that help motivate a healthy lifestyle. I remember the Ms. Manners newspaper column from years ago where she wrote about social etiquette, including table manners. She always ended her column with the humorous request “Feeling incorrect, write me”. Similarly, but seriously I say, “Feeling unmotivated for the fit lifestyle, write me”. unmotivatedfitness123@gmail.com
Leonard – Mountain biking Tucson 2020
Flagstaff, AZ – Cross-country ski course 2020
Personal info about myself: I have been happily married for 42 years. My wife is from Boston, and a former hospital Registered Nurse RN for 22 years. We have a son 42 years old and a daughter 35, plus two grandsons, age 11 and 15. Our son is a top salesman for Right Toyota in Scottsdale, AZ, and finished 3rd in the Arizona high school state tennis championships in 2000. He is a very good father to our grandsons. Our daughter graduated from the U. of Arizona with a degree in Nutrition, and spent 3 years in the Peace Corps. She is a Registered Dietitian RD, with a master’s in Nutrition from Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA. Our 11 year old grandson living in Phoenix can already beat me at chess. And our 15 year old grandson living in the suburbs of Chicago has major league talent in hitting a baseball, which hopefully will eventually get us in free at my old home park, Wrigley Field. I have lived in many cities throughout the US and 29 years in Tucson.