This study describes the physical activity of university students (PA) and their motives to exercise in the summer of 2021, after the COVID-19 lockdown in Slovenia. Adults over 18 years of age (n = 493; 72% women) completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form and the Exercise Motivation Inventory-2 (EMI-2) via an anonymous online survey. Since the EMI-2 has never been used with the Slovenian population, the measurement properties of the Slovenian version (EMI-2) were also determined in this study. A forward–backward translation was used for cross-cultural adaptation. The internal consistency of the EMI-2 subscales was high. The results of the study showed that male students spent more minutes per session on intense physical activity and performed this activity more frequently per week, whereas female students were more likely to walk for more than 10 min without a break. In addition, female participants were more likely than male participants to cite weight management as a motivator. Male participants were more likely than female participants to cite fun, challenge, social recognition, belonging, competition, and strength and endurance as motivations. Results showed that respondents with a history of competitive sports had higher scores for revitalization, fun, challenge, social recognition, affiliation, competition, positive health, appearance, strength and endurance, and flexibility. They also engaged in intense physical activity more frequently per week, and when they engaged in moderate or intense PA activity, they did so for longer periods of time. Compared to respondents who never exercised, more of them overcame COVID-19. The results also showed some correlation between motivation and physical activity. The motives of revitalization, enjoyment, challenge, competition, strength and endurance, and stress management were more important for individuals who exercised vigorously more often in the past 7 days. Total time spent in daily physical activity is also related to the enjoyment of exercise and challenge. In conclusion, understanding the motives for exercise is important for the behavior of PA, especially after a period of inactivity due to lockdown.

The sustainability of fitness centers depends on two factors: member recruitment and retention, which is why these factors have received attention in recent decades. Temporal trends in fitness center membership purchase channels from 2016 to 2022 and motivation for exercise in 2022 in the Slovenian general population were investigated. The sample included 3419 participants, including 3131 participants (age 31.03 ± 11.31 years, 1430 females) and 288 participants (age 29.39 ± 10.43 years, 110 females) for the first and second objectives, respectively. Data were assessed using a web-based recruitment questionnaire and the EMI-2 motivation questionnaire. Traditional advertising strategies such as radio and flyers are the least effective (only 0.9% of memberships in 2022), while more sophisticated advertising strategies such as the internet and social media are becoming increasingly important in the advertising world (26.6% of memberships in 2022). On the other hand, word of mouth is the most influential method, attracting 51.3% of new members. Females, older members, and Eastern Slovenians were more motivated to exercise by health and esthetic motives, and males and younger members by challenge and competition. Fitness center management should focus on providing the best possible quality of service, tailoring it to the age, gender, and motivation of customers.

Background: University students experience increased psychological distress during academic transitions, yet modifiable lifestyle determinants of their subjective well-being remain incompletely understood within integrated analytical frameworks. Methods: A cross-sectional survey (N = 194 undergraduates; 52.6% women; M age = 21.9 years) used validated instruments: the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Body Appreciation Scale-2 Short Form (BAS-2SF), Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF), and single-item measures of financial security and screen time. Physical activity (PA) was log-transformed (MET_log). Multiple simultaneous regression and structural equation modelling (SEM) were conducted. Results: Perceived stress was the strongest negative predictor of life satisfaction (B = −0.561, p < 0.001), while financial security was a significant positive predictor (B = +0.171, p = 0.023). SEM showed that body appreciation was associated with life satisfaction primarily through lower perceived stress (indirect effect = 0.107; consistent with indirect-only association pattern), while PA showed a significant direct association with life satisfaction (β = +0.143, p = 0.030), independent of the stress pathway. The indirect effect of PA via stress was not significant in the SEM. Model fit was acceptable (CFI = 0.951; RMSEA = 0.067). Conclusions: Perceived stress was statistically associated with the relationship between body appreciation and subjective well-being, while PA showed a direct statistical association with well-being that was independent of the stress pathway. Given the cross-sectional nature of this study, these findings suggest that university health promotion programmes may consider integrating positive body image and stress management components alongside PA promotion to support student psychological well-being.

Background/Objectives: Understanding the determinants of physical activity (PA) and health outcomes requires integrating environmental and motivational perspectives. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study tested a sequential model in which perceived sport infrastructure service quality enhances exercise motivation, which subsequently increases PA and leads to better self-rated health (SRT). Methods: A total of 546 recreational adult exercisers completed validated questionnaires assessing sport infrastructure service quality (SQAS), exercise motivation (MPAM-R), PA (IPAQ), and self-rated health. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to examine the hypothesised relationships among variables. Results: The proposed sequential model was supported. Perceived service quality positively predicted exercise motivation (β = 0.255, p < 0.001), motivation significantly predicted PA (β = 0.266, p < 0.001), and PA was positively associated with self-rated health (β = 0.115, p < 0.005). Model fit indices indicated a good and acceptable fit to the data (CFI = 0.947, TLI = 0.935, NFI = 0.914, GFI = 0.931, RMSEA = 0.072, SRMR = 0.067, χ²/df = 3.85). Conclusions: The findings underscore the importance of high-quality exercise infrastructure as a key environmental factor that supports motivational engagement and promotes healthier behaviour patterns. Interventions aimed at increasing PA and improving perceived health should address both environmental quality and motivational processes.

Purpose: This paper examines how professional athletes and sports influencers construct personal brands and build audience communities on Instagram, and why these processes differ despite operating on the same platform. Design/methodology/approach: We conducted 15 semi-structured interviews with eight elite Slovenian professional athletes and seven sports influencers, triangulated with a structured review of each participant's Instagram content from the year preceding the interviews. Data were analyzed using a Gioia-inspired, theory-guided inductive approach. Findings: Both groups emphasize authenticity and community-oriented content, but diverge in: (1) the basis of brand legitimacy (performance-based versus platform-based), (2) boundary management of private life and (3) the degree of dependence on Instagram for career outcomes. Despite these differences, both professional athletes and sports influencers converge on one point: posts perceived as overtly commercial, especially those unrelated to sport, are consistently described by both groups as damaging to credibility and audience engagement. Originality/value: The study develops a comparative theoretical account of how “performance-legitimized” and “platform-legitimized” human brands pursue personal branding and community building on Instagram. The framework advances the human-brand theory by clarifying how legitimacy origins shape branding strategy and vulnerability, and offers actionable guidance for sponsorship decision-making, endorser selection and content strategy design in sport-related digital marketing contexts.