Why Don't You Exercise?
Does the headline of this post make you feel guilty? I feel guilty just writing it.
We live in a time when 1 out of 7 Americans have tried a weight loss supplement. That is a lot of people.
Exercising, however, is not popular.
Why not?
- I might get hurt.
- I don't want to sweat.
- I can't be bothered getting changed.
- It's hard.
- I don't have the time.
- I'm embarrassed and feel stupid.
- It's too cold.
- It's too hot.
- I'm too tired.
- Why should I bother?
- I never get anywhere.
- The moment I stop it's all for nothing.
Those are just some of the thoughts that have gone through my head when it comes to thinking about exercise.
Why don't you exercise? Be honest (no put-downs).
NOTE: In a later post we will look at what we can do to feel inspired about working our bodies.
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"I'm embarrassed and feel stupid." This is the main reason I don't work out. I live with two other young women much slimmer than I who tease me when I make healthy choices. Neither of them have struggled with their weight and don't understand that their put-downs complicate things for me. My self-esteem isn't too high and I would like all the encouragement and support I can get from friends and family.
Some other thoughts that have been plaguing my mind all month about exercise (yes, it has been over a month since I have bothered) are:
"Tomorrow I will waste all my efforts and overeat."
"There is no immediate gain and if I haven't been exercising regularly before what makes me think I will stay on track this time?"
"I would rather catch up on sleep and rest for tonight and exercise tomorrow."
Also, someone put a mirror on the wall oposite to all the exercise equiptment and it isn't fun to be watching myself! :)
ReplyOh my, I am so sorry to hear that you are not getting positive support and encouragement from your friends! Everyone needs that, that's why blogs and forums like these are so helpful! Everyone here is interested in health and wellness and positive living! Keep trying and putting the effort in! :)
ReplyWe bought a treadmill last year, and it was one of the best investments we made. I didn't think about reasons NOT to exercise. Instead, I just did it. For weeks, I didn't want to get on BEFORE I got on and was very glad I did at the end of the 45 minutes.
I listen to music and find that the right music for me is a huge asset.
I don't think about exercise; I just do it.
ReplyI agree with Georgia who said embarrassment really stops. Getting out of breath immediately, face red and sweating, is embarrassing and humiliating to me, especially when I am with someone who has not even broke a sweat. I try to not let it stop me, but there are many times I am afraid it does.
ReplyI was kind of embarassed when I first started working out at a gym, mostly just because I felt akward on the equipment. Now, six months later, I can see a huge improvement, I don't feel at all uncomfortable any more, I am a size smaller and I have so much more endurance.
If you are uncomfortable doing to a gym, try taking some really long walks.
I haven't been to the gym in two weeks because I've been sick with a sinus infection and I'm really looking forward to it. Not really to going to the gym but the way I feel when I'm done.
I don't think there's anything embarrasing about getting red in the face and sweating but I've noticed that the sweating and redness is much reduced after I've gotten in better shape, so that is something to look forward to.
I made a lot of attempts to exercise before, and I always gave up, but this time for some reason I just kept going. So even if you have quit before, just keep trying and likely someday it will stick.
ReplySorry, I guess those really aren't excuses for not exercising in my comment above. I don't really have any, except for being sick or if I have work deadlines.
ReplyA few years ago, I was lucky enough to be in Carmel California and was running by the ocean near Pebble Beach. I rounded a turn in the path and suddenly saw an older man in plaid kilts and tunic! He looked at me and said in the thickest of Scottish accents," It must feel good to have your muscles stretch and work in the early morning air!" Well, yes it did!
ReplyIt's not uncommon for people to comment to me about how easy it must be for me to do this or that exercise since I'm fit. I've thought about this. It's not easy at all. Exercise takes commitment and work. But perhaps, if anything, I'm fortunate because I have always been able to get myself to do it. And that has made all the difference.
Don't think of something, like exercise or losing weight, as "hard" or "difficult." Think of it as a challenge.
To think of failure is to invite failure.
ReplyI like to exercise especially if you do it with a group, like inviting friends for basketball. Exercising alone can be boring. But when I go out to play with my friends, I forget about my problems. What's nice is to get two advantages in just one package. I get to exercise and at the same time I have fun.
ReplyMy hair, my hair and my hair. That's my excuse - although I just think about what's more important to me - and it's not my hair. I must say - I go to the gym daily and I don't care about what anyone else is doing or how they look and I don't think they care about me. The only time I ever really examine anybody else (other than the eye candy aspect) is only in a positive way when they are doing some exercise that I think I might want to try.
ReplyThis is what keeps me from cardio at least - "It will make me hungry." Also, "It's so boring!!" The idea of running to nowhere on a treadmill, even taking a walk outside, makes me cringe.
ReplyLOL, I'm so lazy!
i exercise... sometimes :) usually at the end of the day, i'd like to collapse, not tire myself out more. i'm just lazy.
ReplyWhile it's a little bit hard at the beginning, once you make a -habit-- out of excercising, it just becomes another part of your day. In fact, once it becomes a habit, it's hard NOT to excercise.
I would also recommend listening to audiobooks as a way to make cardio exercises less tedious. You will become fit AND well-read!
Now, get out there and get a habit!
ReplyADVICE!!! When you go to a gym make a schedule in your head for all the equipment you're going to do and for how long you're going to do them.
Don't make it too hard but not too easy either. After completing the schedule you will feel like what you did actually made a difference and that you didn't waste you time. Tell yourself way to go for succeeding!
Also, change up the schedule each time you go if you don't like routines, but constantly increase the time or difficulty at each machine for challenge and endurance!
ReplyCardio makes me hungry, so I EAT! And I'm losing fat.
ReplyFear of embarassment and humiliation were a big point stopping me from going to the gym for a long time. Much more so than the "it's too hard, I'm too lazy" excuse. I thought the gym would be full of buff studs and skinny chix in spandex who would stare, point, titter, etc. Well, in my experience it's not like that at all. My gym is populated with ordinary people just like me (well, maybe not quite so fat) who are there because they need to exercize. They care about themselves and their own workout, not the other people sweating around them. The few who talk to me at all are very supportive. For people who still fear ridicule, go when the gym is pretty empty, like late evenings on week days, or mid-afternoon on weekends.
ReplyNo, I do not exercise but I tend to exercise only when I notice myself gaining weight or when people tell me that I have gained weight. I have to have some particular motivation to exersize.
For example: During my hishschool years I was overweight. When it came to the last year of high school, the prom year, I went on a strict diet. All I wanted was to show up looking like a princess just like in the movies. I wanted to appear as a different person and not an overweight one. So, that Whole year a joined the gym and 5 times a week I would go and work out. I was noticing the results and so were my peers at school.As I was seeing myself shedding pounds I kept on working out even more hard at the gym too lose some more pounds. I was convinced that I wanted to look good at my prom night. To make a long story short when it came to my prom night I was able to walk in a beautiful dress that I never thought I would be able to fit into in my life and everyone around me was shocked from how much weight I had lost. I lost 60 pounds. So, the prom was sort of my motivation.
I guess I don't exersize unless I have a good motivation which is stupid because my health should be a motivation.
Mary
Replyi agree with Mary..im kind of in the same situation ..this is my last year of high school and i want to look good in my prom dress! and its hard to workout when i have no motivation..no one in my house works out!!
Replyso its really hard to get that motivation but i really want to make a difference and get healthy!
I feel really different about this. My mind occasionally goes to excuses, but I work out anyway because I *know* that I will feel better as soon as I get started. When I was 16, I was diagnosed with asthma for the first time. Up until that point, I had associated physical exertion (particularly running) with chest pain. All of a sudden, I took a few puffs from my inhaler and exercise felt GOOD... GREAT even! It totally revolutionized my experience of moving. I have gained and lost weight since then, but I never really stopped exercising.
I guess my point is... look for that thing that makes moving feel GOOD. Whether it's a dance class, or a gentle yoga class or a walk on the beach with your dog. In a lot of these comments I see that people really have a negative experience of movement. Go out and find something that gives you a POSITIVE experience of movement. Yeah... you might still need to convince yourself from time to time, and you might need to add some boring conditioning exercise to make you fun movement more fun. But find some joy in it!
ReplyGeorgia, I hope you find more sympathetic roommates or a fitness support group. Put downs do not help when you seek to make a change, I know.
Dr. J, I've also been fortunate enough to do the Scenic Drive/Pebble Beach path and it's a wonderful experience. Didn't see the Scottsman, though : )
As for my excuse: I often find exercise for its own sake is boring. I like walking, but to a destination. Being at a gym makes me feel like a hamster in a ball. And when I have free time, I'd rather read or socialize or play the piano. So I get around this by taking long walks or walking my errands instead of driving.
ReplyLaziness. I ain't lying about it.
Last year, I managed to walk 117 straight days. Stopped when I got a new job. Switched jobs to a more forgiving schedule, much more sedentary than the last, but still haven't dragged my butt back out there.
Maybe tomorrow... ;-)
ReplyHonestly at the end of the day when I'm off work finally and at home I'm just too lazy too. I love to ride my bicycle but it takes too much energy for me get the kids situated, get supper started, get the hubby situated and then go get changed and get on my bike. I had lost down to 155 lbs doing atkins and now I'm back up to 173. My birthday is coming up on April 1st i plan to have at least lost 15 lbs by then no matter what I have to do.
ReplyIt's not hard to excercise. A few times. And it's not hard to diet. For a few days. Anything can be done with a little willpower. But willpower wanes, life intervenes, and the habit does not get established. I've even gotten as far as to establish an exercise "habit", only to get sick or travel or have something come along and break the habit.
I think I need help with this on a deeper level. I'm convinced I could get up an hour earlier for the next week and go out and run (or treadmill, or walk the dog, or whatever), but I'm not at all convinced I'll still be doing it 3 months for now. I don't really have an excuse here, but this is clearly the way things have worked in my life to this point, and I'd like to know why it's different for those who can sustain it day in and day out for years.
ReplyI'm pretty committed to exercise (I work out 4-5 times per week, generally for at least an hour), but the #1 reason why I don't train harder or longer is, "I don't have time!"
There are certain types of exercise where I know it's good for me (such as running), but I use the, "I'm embarrassed and feel stupid," and the, "I never get anywhere," excuses, because running is always really difficult for me.
Reply"I'm not at all convinced I'll still be doing it 3 months for now"
There is something to be said for the idea that maybe it's just not the right time for you (or anyone) to diet/exercise.
However, if you do want to add exercise, then just do it today and forget about "in the future."
Remember: To think of failure is to invite failure.
ReplyI work 16 hour days (working 1.5 regular jobs and volunteering to make myself a competitive applicant for vet school) and have a really hard time finding the time, energy and motivation to exercise when I only have 8 hours a day for everythings else, cooking, cleaning, eating, sleeping, taking care of pets, grocery shopping. I should be able to make time anyway in my regular routine, like walking up stairs whenever I can, or walking/jogging during my lunch, but I'm always so overworked and tired. And I like to savor whatever few free moments I have.
Thanks for this article! It felt really nice to be able to rant and vent about this. It does frustrate me that I don't excercise because I am gaining weight, slowly but surely!
ReplyEven though I've just arrived from the gym and I took a walk this morning as well, you made *me* feel guilty too. Now I'm thinking I should skip shopping tomorrow in favor of rollerblading, hahaha.
I work 12-14h days but I have found since I developed "fybromyalgia" (I don't believe in such a disease, but let's go with it for a minute), that exercising is easy, if the choices are either exercise or get awful pain all over my body. If only I could get a disease that would give me awful pain all over my body for eating something with sugar or refined carb in it, I'd be extremely healthy.
ReplyFor me, I didn't know HOW to for the longest time.
That may sound weird, especially when you consider that I had been in the military for 4 years when I was younger, and was in shape then.
I found the popular information about diet, exercise and weight loss to be very conflicting and confusing. It was only when I educated myself that I was able to figure out how to do it.
Brian
ReplyI used to HATE working out...I made fun of the cross country runners in high school and the very thought of breaking a sweat made me cringe. My excuse for the longest time was "Exercise makes my asthma flare up and it's painful". I started by walking and then I added little bits of running until I was able to go a mile straight. Pretty soon, I was a runner and now I run 50 miles a week, plus I jump rope and do strength training. I make exercise a very big priority in my life...I rarely miss a day unless I plan to and I don't give myself many excuses. You just have to do it sometimes, even when you don't feel like it. This morning, I really didn't "feel like" getting my ass out of bed at 3:15 am and going out for a 7.8 mile run, but once I was out, I felt fantastic. I think that's what keeps me going...it really does make me feel a lot better.
ReplyI find these comments fascinating.
Lack of time and not making exercise a priority are well known excuses. What is not discussed often is how many people feel like they just don't do know what to do. This is really ironic, because there is a lot of information available and people who workout regularly are generally very willing to help share their thoughts and knowledge with others. (Yes, there are some jerks out there, but you are more likely to encounter a jerk on the street than at the gym.)
I'm going to take a guess here, but I think the biggest issue is the simple lack of fitness support groups at most gyms and most communities. Correct me if I'm wrong, but sounds like if there was a support group that could both teach you and make you feel comfortable, many of you who don't currently workout would start exercising.
Reply"I'm too tired." I've used that after a long day at college, but then that day becomes my day off for the week so it's fine.
I think they should add "Because I don't need to exercise." People who are slim/skinny don't understand how it'd be easier to keep and improve what they have now than to have to get it back.
ReplyDr. J--my sentiments exactly. Animals don't freakin' care what they eat. They'll eat garbage, leftover pizza boxes, animal remains, sticks, berries, etc. They just eat whatever, whenever but stay very active. I think exercise has done more for my body than following any specific diet. I just try to avoid eating too much crap and eat a lot of antioxidants.
That being said...I work out a lot more than most average people and I get a lot of crap for it too. My coworkers say "You'll get hurt" or "You're going to need new knees when you're 30!". Most people just aren't aware of how capable our bodies are of doing amazing amounts of work and very few people push themselves to their own limits. I'm doing a half a marathon in a couple of weeks and later this year I'll do a full one. I love the feeling I get from running that much and just flat-out busting myself to cross the finish line. It's truly a great feeling, but I think so many people feel like they're going to like, break themselves if they even try to do anything even a little physically challenging.
ReplyPure laziness. Also some people think that they have to get into weight lifting all of a sudden, they fear injuries. That's why you start out with cardio and hire the gym's personal trainer to show you how to do weight lifting at a level you can start with. There's really no excuses. Americans are fat, lazy pigs.
ReplyThere was NO WAY I was going to go to a gym, especially where I live (pretty people city). So, I got exercise videos and did/do them at home. Excuses sort of fell by the wayside. Didn't have to drive there...didn't have to look a certain way...didn't have to be there a certain time for classes or have to wait for equipment...I only had to do them. 100+ pounds later... They work! And I still hate exercising, but I do it--the results make it worth keeping up with. I found a video series that worked for me (cardio/strength training), and I can fit it into my life. I just couldn't excuse my way out of them. Sometimes it's harder than others, but the trick was to get a routine I could live with and just get them done.
ReplyOn the days that I don't exercise, it's usually because I feel a lack of energy because I didn't sleep well the night before. I frequently suffer from insomnia -- sometimes for several nights at a time. I'm reluctant to take sleeping pill remedies because of the nasty side effects. Warm milk has never helped me. And other natural remedies (such as reading before bedtime, taking a bubble bath, or anything of a "sensual" nature) have the undesired effect of making me feel overly antsy.
It is ironic, though, that a commonly cited cure for low energy and trouble falling asleep is *TA-DA!* EXERCISE, especially during the mid-morning or mid-day. Why I don't follow this suggestion on days that I feel poorly rested, I simply don't know. I'm probably not thinking very clearly all-around.
ReplyThat should have been MINUS 100+ pounds later in my post. Oops!
ReplySusan - congratulations on losing over 100 pounds! Way to go! :-)
I love working out at home too. Now my problem is that I've become addicted to buying workout DVDs. But there are worse problems to have.
ReplyMost forms of exercise make me feel seriously ill, with nausea and searing lungs. That was always true even when I was younger and much more fit--and ESPECIALLY when it came to running and jogging, the primary form of popular exercise when I was younger.
Exercising in groups almost inevitably becomes a competition, either subtle or overt, which I know I will lose. Why would I willingly subject myself to that?
If I'm going to exercise, I'd prefer to swim--the one form of exercise which I do well, and which I therefore enjoy--and I'd prefer to do it completely alone. I don't like to see *other* fat women in bathing suits, much less subjecting other swimmers to the sight of my own pudgy body. Of course, if you don't have access to your own pool, this regimen becomes difficult to obtain.
Reply