Meaningful physical activity experiences in the home environment

The concept of meaningful PE is gaining ground within the context of education, children and youth. This paper extends the meaningful PE framework by exploring its feasibility for application in health promotion, through meaningful recreational physical activity (PA) and exercise experiences for adults and older adults. We use an empirical study as the basis for exploring conceptualisations of meaningful PA. This paper draws from a visual ethnography in the UK with women regarding their PA at home when emerging from pandemic restrictions. Eleven women aged 36-72 engaged in one-to-one video interviews and photo diaries during summer/autumn 2021. The six features of meaningful PE (fun, social interaction, competence, the right challenge, personal relevance, and joy, Beni et al., 2017; Kretchmar, 2006) were used as a theoretical lens to explore PA experiences. The participants had meaningful PA at home: convenience and adaptability were part of finding PA personally relevant and having control to do the right challenge for oneself. There was joy in a purpose related to increased strength, age-related functionality and motor competence. Community and support from instructors and peers were valuable elements of social interaction. There was little mention of fun, but participants stressed the importance of access to nature and adventure for truly meaningful PA. This analysis supports both the value of the concept and features of meaningful PA, and calls for attention to explore relevant meaningful features of recreational PA and exercise (Wintle, 2022). Meaningful features may develop across the lifespan, in line with the ecological physical literacy perspective (O’Sullivan et al., 2020; Whitehead, 2010), which may urge future research to explore meaningful experiences according to age and other factors of functionality. For enhanced understanding of personally relevant PA, individuals and communities can find value in reflection on movement and lived experience