ABSTRACT
There is an extensive literature on what is the central focus of the first two chapters of this book; namely, the relationships between physical activity, exercise, sport and health. However, as was noted at the beginning of the first chapter, almost all of this literature has been written from a physiological perspective while very little has been written from a specifically sociological perspective. In seeking to develop such a perspective, I argued that it is important to differentiate clearly between the concepts of physical activity, exercise and sport, because these are very different kinds of social activities; they are associated with different networks of relationships and those who take part in them are likely to have very different orientations towards physical activity. As an illustration, it will be recalled that the Health Education Authority listed, among its recommended physical activities, gardening and DIY. However, keen gardeners or DIY enthusiasts, for whom their hobby constitutes their main form of physical activity, are likely to be involved in different networks of relationships-and will probably have very different attitudes towards physical activity-from those who regularly take part in aerobics or ‘exercise to music’ sessions, while non-competitive aerobics, in turn, involves the participants in a network of relationships which is very different from that which characterises competitive sport. These differences are of major importance but, as we noted earlier, the concepts of physical activity, exercise and sport have often been conflated, particularly by people within the sports lobby, who frequently claim for sport the health benefits associated with non-competitive physical activity or exercise. It is time to reject such sleight-of-hand, for it is intellec-tually dishonest and it provides a misleading basis for public policy.
