Exercise: The Most Hated Pastime?
Only 38% of Britons would be motivated to do more exercise if their life depended on it. Ironically, our lives may well depend on it.
The British Heart Foundation claims that someone dies every 15 minutes as a direct result of physical inactivity.
So what percentage of people find exercise fun?
Are you ready for this?
4%
The survey undertaken by the BHF (see also BBC) paints a sad picture. Couple that with the confusion over healthy food, and it gets even worse.
Other stats from the report:
- One in seven (15%) Brits said they’d exercise more if the weather was better.
- While 8% of women said that doing vigorous housework was their favourite form of exercise, only 1% of men agreed.
- 17% of women said their main reason for exercising was to keep their figure but only 7% of men said their shape was their main motivator.
- Men were more concerned about their heart health, with 13% saying it was their main reason for exercising. Only 7% of women saw heart health as a major motivator.
If we exercised regularly I suspect that pharmaceutical revenues would plummet (unless, of course, they invented an "exercise pill").
Motivation?
"Almost a third of 18 to 24-year-olds reported they would do more exercise if they saw an unflattering photo of themselves or were told they looked fat."
How many people out there equate exercise with self-flagellation? Or a form of punishment?
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I wouldn't exactly consider vigorous exercise fun, but it sure is rewarding and makes me feel good!
Replythe fun really is in the results...I mean does everything have to be fun? it seems most things in life worth doing are difficult and not always full of fun....
ReplyI recently turned our downstairs into a TV/workout room. I have a treadmill and an exercise bike. One of my favorite things to do these days is watch the TV programs I would have watched anyway, but while I walk on the treadmill. I am so pleased that I'm now burning calories during an activity where I would have been doing nothing at all!
ReplyI think part of the problem is that the word, exercise, conjures up pictures of calisthenics, treadmills, and types of exercise that most of us don't find to be fun. Almost everyone can find some type of sport or activity they like to do that can get them moving. There's also a new videogame that's in development that rewards you for moving throughout the day - e.g., taking the stairs instead of an elevator or parking farther from the door so you have to walk more. I blogged about it today. I think we try to be too perfect when we undertake a new exercise program.
ReplyI think I understand the Brits. I tried to live there, but could not. The weather is dreary, food bland, and the women are grouchy. :-D
As for exercise being fun? Unless it is some sport, I don't think so.
ReplyI love to exercise, but I recognize I'm in a small minority.
ReplyOne of the attractions of running is being out by yourself in the morning. It's not "fun" in the same way meditation isn't "fun", but it's a pleasure.
I never find weight training fun, unless I make it a bit of a social outing with a friend.
Replyi love to workout, its hard work and sometimes a little painful, but hey, no pain no gain right!! besides, when you're done torturing the fat out of you, it feels so good :D
ReplyI think you have to find the exercise you find rewarding, and then you'll find the fun in it. I used to be one of those people who hated exercise and thought I always would. Now I'm a total exercise addict (figuratively speaking-not in a dangerous way) and I love to find new ways to exercise and have fun. For instance, I started taking a hip hop dance class last week. Now I will never be in a Rihanna video, but I was so pumped afterwards, and I can't wait to go back tonight. That said, I would have been miserable in this class a few years ago when I was out of shape, because I could not have kept up, I would have been huffing and puffing uncontrollably, and not have been able to do the movements. So, I guess you have to start somewhere, and keep tinkering until you find something that works for you.
That said, I wholeheartedly agree with Lee's statement-
In many ways we are creatures who crave instant gratification, and in the short term, it may be more gratifying to sit on the couch rather than move your body. However, in the long run, it won't be "fun" to be in poor health. This is what motivates me on the days that I'm in a slump and don't feel like exercising. Reply
looking at the tiny survey they got the figure of 38% from, I'm not sure it's very representative of british people. (I'm British, I live in the UK where I don't eat bland food and I'm only occasionally grouchy)
But then I'm not sure that if I was asked if exercise was "fun" that I'd say yes either. And I enjoy working out. Thinking about working out gives me a feeling of dread but once I'm doing it, I enjoy it. And I hope oneday to not feel that dread.
ReplyI didn't love it at first...but I LOVE it now!!! I've been down for several weeks due to surgery and the exercise withdrawal has been driving me nuts! So glad to get back to it this week...
ReplyI wouldn't call exercise "fun" but I have found many athletic activities that I enjoy. The resulting feelings of accomplishment and energy well spent are worth the sweat, extra laundry, and time it takes.
ReplyI can say it, I'm in the majority: I hate to exercise. I hate to sweat. I hate to stink. I hate to have my hair go frizzy. I hate pushign to the point of sore muscles. hate it. I worked with a trainer twice a week for 7 months in 2002. I never got to like it. NEVER. But I liked being stronger. I've lost all the gains I made back then, muscle-stamina and strength-wise, and I've gained weight, which I'm now on the path of losing. But I know I'm not a move it girl. I never have been. Even as a kid, hated gym. Hated sports. Hated calisthenics. Hated all of it. I like sitting and reading or sitting and smooching or very leisurely walks. I used to like dancing, but only in a fun social setting. Not as...exercise.
But I know it's good for me. And I have to do it. And that's that. I hate flossing, and I hate scrubbing the sink, and I hate doing laundry, but I do it....
The Princess
ReplyI love to exercise! I guess I'm in the minority, but there is just something really gratifying in pushing yourself further and working your muscles harder each day. I run long distance and there is such a feeling of accomplishment after I get done with a good 12 mile run.
I suppose most people don't find their desk jobs "fun" either, but hey, you gotta work to make money right? Same thing with exercise: you do it to live longer and to be fit and (possibly) to fit into smaller clothes. No one said it was always "fun", but it IS always worth it.
ReplyI rate exercise as fun. I have a great gym, great personal trainer and i really enjoy the classes. It wasnt always like that for me. I used to hate exercise and thought my 15minute walk home was ample exercise, but the weight kept gaining...
i work a desk job, so anything that doesnt involve sitting and staring at a screen is fun. I just enjoy going to hang out with my trainer and the other people in my classes. if you stop looking at exercise as painful or boring and just go and take the time to get to know the people around you, you might find you actually quite like it. Its quite social really, you meet alot of like minded people.
ReplyI'd love to say that exercise is fun - but truth? It's not. It's strenuous, tough, and often times, tiring. That said, I "enjoy" it because truly delivers results over time. Not many in things in life give that guarantee.
I also think that for us non-athletes, exercise isn't fun b/c, exercise is something you can only do before or after work at a set time. Therefore, it's mainly a solo act and repetitive. If exercise is a team sport - then fun might be part of the definition. For me it's sometimes more like a task.
ReplyI don't know why people fell like this as working out and exercising feels great. When I don't exercise I go into a depressed state that leaves me moving slow and bored. Exercise and working out is not only good for your body it is good for your life.
ReplyGreat Blog!! I found you googling shoe pedometer's. I will have to add you to my links file. I am a SAHM Homeschool Mom of 3. Our local rec center had a special on memberships so I signed the whole family. We are now doing Pilates, Youth Fitness and Strength Training classes and I added Zumba (that'll kill ya..but it's fun). We started this program towards the end of August and to date I have lost 12 lbs, and 7" around the waist. I wouldn't exercise if it wasn't for the kids. I have 3 partners in crime and they keep me on track not to mention the added benefits of how it is helping me to change their lives. I have always sabotaged my exercise and dieting in the past....The kids are doing awesome. I hate exercise but am having a blast doing this with my kids. We are now doing the walking thing in the evenings with my husband for more family time. My 14 year old daughter was the biggest complainer and now she loves it. Doing it with a friend or loved one has made all the difference for us. Thanks for all the info you have put here...Great Job!!!!
ReplyThis would not motivate me to exercise either. This would just turn what I so much enjoy into something stressful....if I don't exercise I'm going to die is hardly going to increase my enjoyment!
I exercise because it makes me feel good, I love the way I feel afterwards...that natural high you get.
ReplyI don't think exercise is boring since there are a lot of ways for us to enjoy it. One good example is sports.
ReplyTrue. Sports are indeed fun and a great way to exercise. But how many of us can do sports everyday?
ReplyI don't really enjoy exercising. But I do run about 10-12 km (6.5 miles) everyday so I can lose some weight. Of course, this eventually gets very boring as I have been running for about a year.
However, on some days I do enjoy the runs but on some days, I drag myself through them.
Exercise is a must to me whether I enjoy it a not.
I've never truly found exercise to be boring, but At the same time I'm almost never inspired to exercise. The main reason being that I'm disturbingly conscious in public of people noticing me if I'm doing any sort of exercise. I would go for a run, hell at times I really want too, but I'm just too damn mindful of "piercing" eyes taking stabs at me. Which is an incredibly uncomfortable feeling for myself. I just don't want to put up with it; and since I don't have a treadmill or comfortable bike to work with I end up sticking to light exercises. It's rather pathetic on my part, but it's how I've always been.
Having said that, I do enjoy getting a good workout. I just lack the motivation to overcome my consciousness of working out when people are around me.
ReplyI love exercise. LOVE it. I would continue even if I knew I would never lose weight.. or that I'd gain 10 lb if I continued.
ReplyI think "fun" is the wrong word to associate with exercise for your average joe, then bandy the stats about and go all horrified with the results.
What's the latest statistic for people who exercise AT ALL, much less call it "fun"? The majority of people in the US or UK couldn't run 3 miles if they were being chased by the four horses of the apocalypse, so asking a sedentary population if exercise is "fun" seems like a pretty pointless endeavor.
I work about 15 hours a day, and I exercise six days a week for many reasons. Fun isn't really one of them, but it's a surefire way for me to feel as though I'm in control of my habits rather than the other way around. In any chaotic environment (like a combat zone, or a household with three toddlers, or graduate school, whatever the chaos), that's pricelss. Eating well naturally follows that "control-edness." And from there, the habits develop. It becomes NOT-fun to miss a workout because the habit is established.
I've lost over 20 pounds since I got to Iraq in April, and it started with the exercise, then the sense of control. Diet followed...a bigger challenge, as everything in our chow hall is either fried or boiled beyond recognition.
So while I wouldn't call it "fun," per se, opening a box of new clothes in a smaller size, trying them on, and liking what I see...now THAT'S fun.
Good luck out there, all ya'll!
ReplyNo doubt about that. With the growing number of obese people, it's clear that many of us don't like exercise.
ReplyI personally enjoy going to the gym and exercising. It makes me feel good about my body and makes me feel like I'm in control.
If I ever feel unmotivated or sad about not making much progress in regards to weight loss, I tell myself: "you're not just here to lose weight. You're here to release endorphins, to beat depression, to make your bones and joints stronger, to be more supple, to have a healthier heart. You're here because you care about yourself, and you love yourself enough to take care of yourself."
And that gets rid of my negative thoughts or impatience.
When I don't go to the gym, I miss it and the feeling it gives me, which in turn gets rid of the lazy tendencies in me.
I think it really helps to think of exercise as something that's part of your life, as something long-term rather than pain you have to endure for a few months until you reach your goal weight. As with eating for permanent weight loss, you have to have an exercise routine that is sustainable - say 2-3 times a week for the rest of your life, rather than 5 times a week for 2 months.
ReplyI like exercise because I'm always reaching my goals, which are tiny increments better than the last workout.
ReplyI have always enjoyed physical activity. From ages 2-20 it was hiking, from 6-18 it was swimming, from 21 to the present 41, it was biking, as was, to a lesser extent, from 6-12. I have biked to Sausalito, Santa Cruz, Hollister, Half Moon Bay, and Oakland once each, to Gilroy three times, to San Francisco 21 times, where I had 8 bikes stolen, to San Leandro and Pacifica twice each, and to Fremont several times.
ReplyThe blog says that 4 percent of people find exercise "fun," but wouldn't most of us say that it's fun - or at least enjoyable or pleasant - sometimes??! Who doesn't enjoy a walk or bike ride on a gorgeous day, or have some activity that they love, like dancing or skiing or surfing? What isn't always fun is doing it day in and day out the way we know we're supposed to...no matter whether we're busy, tired, or hungry.
Reply