On self-representation of health by Physical Education instructors working at gyms

Abstract

This study aims to discuss how physical education instructors working at large gyms in the city of Rio de Janeiro represent their own health. It uses the theoretical and methodological framework of the Theory of Social Representation as formulated by Moscovici (2003). Fifteen interviews were carried out and questionnaires were applied to map out the characteristics and the daily lives of the subjects who participated in this study. We found that the instructors, in representing their health, resorted to biological categories such as eating habits, sleep, and physical activity, as well as utilitarian categories such as aptitude for work. The majority of our interviewees works as personal trainer, which appeared as one of the factors responsible for the disorganization of their time.