Confidence is key to overcome the obstacles that come when sticking to a workout regime, according to a new study.

The researchers call this type of focussed confidence `self-efficacy.`

`You can apply the concept of self-efficacy to every single health behavior you can think of because in many ways that really is what gets us through the day, gets us through the tough times,` said University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Edward McAuley, who led the research. `

People who are more efficacious tend to approach more challenging tasks, work harder and stick with it even in the face of early failures.`

Those lacking self-efficacy often won`t even try to start a new routine, or will quit at the earliest sign of difficulty, McAuley said.

`Almost 50 percent of people who begin an exercise program drop out in the first six months,` he said.

Motivation is the key to successful weight loss

All is not lost, however, for those with low self-efficacy as research shows there are ways to increase confidence in relation to specific goals via remembering previous successes, observing others doing something daunting and enlisting others` support, McAuley said.

The researchers conducted a battery of cognitive tests on 177 men and women in their 60s and early 70s and also asked them whether and how often they set goals for themselves, monitored their progress, managed their time and engaged in other `self-regulatory` behaviors.

The researchers found that two executive function skills - the ability to multitask and to inhibit undesirable responses - significantly contributed to adherence by increasing self-efficacy.

The study has been published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Source: ANI
Image: Flickr/creativecommons cumidanciki