The Obligatory Exercise Questionnaire
Excerpt from Exercise Balance
by Pauline S. Powers, M.D., Ron Thompson, PhD
To find out more about this helpful book click here.
Directions: Listed below is a series of statements about people's exercise habits. Please circle the number that reflects how often you make the following statements:
1 - NEVER 2 - SOMETIMES 3 - USUALLY 4 - ALWAYS
- I engage in physical exercise on a daily basis.
1 2 3 4 - I engage in one/more of the following forms of exercise: walking,jogging/running or weight lifting.
1 2 3 4 - I exercise more than three days per week.
1 2 3 4 - When I don't exercise I feel guilty.
1 2 3 4 - I sometimes feel like I don't want to exercise, but I go ahead and push myself anyway.
1 2 3 4 - My best friend likes to exercise.
1 2 3 4 - When I miss an exercise session, I feel concerned about my body possibly getting out of shape.
1 2 3 4 - If I have planned to exercise at a particular time and something unexpected comes up (like an old friend comes to visit or I have some work to do that needs immediate attention) I will usually skip my exercise for that day.
1 2 3 4 - If I miss a planned workout, I attempt to make up for it the next day.
1 2 3 4 - I may miss a day of exercise for no good reason.
1 2 3 4 - Sometimes, I feel a need to exercise twice in one day, even though I may feel a little tired.
1 2 3 4 - If I feel I have overeaten, I will try to make up for it by increasing
the amount I exercise.
1 2 3 4 - When I miss a scheduled exercise session I may feel tense, irritable
or depressed.
1 2 3 4 - Sometimes, I find that my mind wanders to thoughts about exercising.
1 2 3 4 - I have had daydreams about exercising.
1 2 3 4 - I keep a record of my exercise performance, such as how long I work
out, how far or fast I run.
1 2 3 4 - I have experienced a feeling of euphoria or a "high" during or after
an exercise session.
1 2 3 4 - I frequently "push myself to the limits."
1 2 3 4 - I have exercised when advised against such activity (i.e., by a doctor,
friend, etc.).
1 2 3 4 - I will engage in other forms of exercise if I am unable to engage in my
usual form of exercise.
1 2 3 4
Scoring: To score the questionnaire, first reverse the scores for items 8 and 10 (for example, if you wrote "always 4" for Item #8, then reverse it to "1") and then obtain the total. If you score 30 or less, your exercise is probably not obligatory. Scores between 30 and 40 indicate there is reason for mild concern. Scores between 40 and 50 suggest you may have moderate problems with obligatory exercise. Scores above 50 mean you should consider finding ways to moderate your exercise. This questionnaire was used with permission.
