Comparison of Future Time Perspective and Self-Determination Theory for Explaining Exercise Behavior

The primary purposes of this study were to compare future time perspective and subtypes of regulation from self-determination theory as explanatory variables of exercise behavior and to examine potential differences in future time perspective across stages of change. Participants consisted of 317 undergraduates. The two most prominent measures of future time perspective were employed to allow for a comparison. Results revealed numerous significant correlations among future time perspective, self-regulation subtypes, and exercise behavior. Intrinsic and integrated subtypes of regulation explained the most variance in exercise behavior. Participants in higher stages of change had significantly higher future time perspective scores, lower amotivation scores, and higher scores for internal forms of regulation. Applied implications and suggestions for future research are presented.