The physical activity sector has spent millions of pounds investigating the secret to motivating the inactive and encouraging healthy lifestyles. However, one academic believes that drugs could in fact be the key to curtailing sedentary habits.

Writing in the journal Sports Medicine, Professor Samuele Marcora – director of the University of Kent’s School of Sport and Exercise Sciences – has put forward the ‘drastic and controversial’ suggestion that psychoactive drugs could give ‘lazy people’ the quite literal kick required to get them active.

He says that using drugs – such as caffeine, methylphenidate and modafinil – could be an effective way to reduce perception of effort during exercise. Methylphenidate and modafinil are normally used to treat ADHD or narcolepsy – and are also bought off-label as 'smart drugs'.

The controversial suggestion comes at a time when unlocking the key to exercise motivation is a major topic for health club operators. Fitness First is currently in the middle of a £270m (US$408m, €346m) four-year transformation centred on the science of group motivation, while The Gym Group recently published research identifying five core personality types that reflect the motivation of gymgoers. Meanwhile, behaviour change skills are becoming an increasingly important attribute for local authority operators, such as Everyone Active.

Citing the recent research from Cambridge University which found physical inactivity is killing twice as many Europeans as obesity, Marcora notes that sedentary behaviour is a major health concern that need to be approached from a number of angles.

He said: “Given that physical inactivity is responsible for twice as many deaths as obesity, I hope that psychopharmacological treatment for physical inactivity will be considered fairly and seriously, rather than immediately rejected on the basis of unrelated ethical considerations about doping in sport.”

To read the full paper, click here.