ABSTRACT
Regular physical activity, performed for approximately 150 minutes per week in the moderate-to-vigorous intensity range, has been established as critical in reducing the risk of most major chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, several cancers, and musculoskeletal disorders. Personality researchers typically apply a hierarchical structure to understanding personality that includes primary traits as broad dimensions of thoughts, feelings, and action, followed by finer-grained lower-order traits that are reflective of individuals’ cumulative relevant experiences and underlying personality. Most research on personality and physical activity has been focused on answering the question of whether there is a basic relationship between these two variables. Longitudinal designs also allow for an examination of whether physical activity practices shape personality. Personality and physical activity have been studied for nearly half a century, but much of this work has been conducted with healthy young adult samples and relatively static designs.
