ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses leisure walking in relation to consumer culture and the wellness lifestyle, and examines how perceived well-being, valuation of different life domains, and meanings of physical activity differ in relation to the level of physical activity. Leisure time physical activity is connected to a wider societal and economic change – the experience and transformation economy – in which consumers are not looking for mere products and services but, instead, emotional experiences and permanent transformations. The chapter identifies three categories: the physically inactive; the moderately active leisure walkers; and the highly active leisure walkers. It presents various cross tabulations and analyses of variance (ANOVA) to trace the differences between these categories in relation to perceived well-being, as well as value perceptions and personal life goals. The results of ANOVA showed that the most important meanings of physical activity for all categories were 'appearance and fitness' and 'recreation and relaxation'.
