BackgroundPhysical activity is often described as being important for people of all ages, but what different people mean when they talk about physical activity is unclear.MethodA phenomenographic method was used to analyze how 13 older people and 17 professionals answer the question, “If I say physical activity, what does the concept mean to you?” as part of semi-structured interviews conducted in four assisted living facilities in two different municipalities.ResultsWe identified a number of different perceptions of physical activity, with the older people and professionals having different responses. Elderly and professionals alike, define physical activity as a requirement for life and as an opportunity to maintain the body although they define the concepts in different ways. Elderly define the concept as a way to create meaning and the professionals have the attitude that the concept means everyday activities.ConclusionThe concept of physical activity may be defined in many different ways. This study has shown that elderly and professionals do not define physical activity in the same way. Therefore, professionals need to be aware of these differences when talking with elderly about individual needs in everyday life.

Musculoskeletal diagnoses account for the majority of cases of reduced work capacity. This article investigates lay persons’ strategies in relation to work and musculoskeletal disorders. Twenty interviews were conducted and analysed using grounded theory. A typology of self‐presentations was developed. The interviewees’ self‐presentations revealed a strong sense of a ‘duty to work’. This sense of duty took four different forms, leading us to categorise persons expressing particular forms as workaholics, work manics, workhorses or relaxed workers. Relaxed workers seem to have the best prognosis for recovery as they had a confident self‐agency and worked to fulfil their own needs rather than those of others. This was in contrast to work manics, with an uncertain self‐agency and driven to work by others’ needs. In conclusion, awareness of such linguistic forms as self‐attributions and idiomatic phrases provides an opportunity to identify and talk about individual’s self‐agency and driving forces in the recovery process.