People who are too busy to do exercise

I get what you are saying but think you're being a bit unfair too. I know full well that exercise is good for my physical and mental health however my job has recently been extremely demanding, I also have two young children, and in the past two weeks exercising has dropped off my to do list. I put this down to being a human, not a robot.

I don’t particularly have time to exercise. I take it in turns with DH to get up with the baby at 4am on alternating days and then in my day “off” that I have to get up at 5:30 for work so it’s impossible to get up early enough to squeeze it in before work.
In the evenings I’m the one to pick the kids up and go straight from work to the nursery run, dinner, bath, bed etc and then DH isn’t home until 7:30pm during the week.
Technically I could go after that but honestly it’s a mixture of being so exhausted from being up from 4am and I usually don’t eat dinner until DH gets back. My evenings at the minute after the kids go to sleep are just cleaning up, having dinner, sticking on a wash, tidying up the toys, showering and bed! It’s depressing but it is what it is. I don’t moan to anyone about not having time.
I walk a lot during the day and I don’t eat too badly so it balances out.

No idea what you want op? A gold star? a medal? I don't see why anybody should have to defend themselves against anything they don't do that others do. So yes you are BU

The winter nights must fly by in your house... 🙄

OP, everyone has different circumstances.

When I wfh, I ran three lunchtimes a week, plus ParkRun, and a class on a Sunday night.

Now I'm working at an office with no shower. It is dark when I get up. It's dark when I get home. I live in a village with no street lights, and no pavements beyond the village centre. Little narrow country lanes. Running in the dark around here is very dangerous even with a head torch.

I can't wait for it to be light in the evenings. Not long to wait😊

Why do you care OP?

What business is it of yours?

Seriously?: "You’ve chosen to live a life that is not compatible with doing a lot of sport/exercise (or any other time-consuming hobby)."

She's describing a life working ft and having small children, very common and not something alien. Children do grow up quickly you know and can then be left home while mum is going out to the gym/a hobby.

I’m probably a fairly good example of someone who didn’t have time to exercise. Young children, exhaustion, perimenopause and quite frankly no motivation, were all reasons for me.

Now I have teenagers, DH doesn’t leave for work until 7:30 and I work from home. I get up at 4 to go to the gym because I can and most importantly, I enjoy it. It’s fun for me. If it wasn’t, I probably wouldn’t do it.

Exercise isn't just pounding the streets jogging or sweating it out at the gym though.
Simple gentle movement is enough even if that means putting a bit of extra effort with your housework, a few extra minutes walking the dog or walking the kids to school.

Take a look at the Blue Zones where most of the worlds longest living and healthiest folk live. None of them have got to that age in good health by sweating it out to a Jane Fonda video or slogging it out at the gym every day. They all partake in enjoyable movement like gardening, walking, swimming and simply moving the body every day.

I think we have become a tad obsessed about exercise over recent years. People were perfectly healthy years ago without having to jog 4 miles several times a week (which imo looks to be the single most miserable form of exercise) but they moved about a lot.

I used to do about 15-20 kilometers a week and absolutely loved my time running (rather slowly). Unfortunately a bad accident coupled with menopause rather put a spanner in the works. I'm now dog walking, attending Pilates class and doing weights at home but it's not the same.

OP I agree with you to some point but I think there's a stigma to weight and fitness levels that's rather hard to ignore, especially when you are in a slump. I'd also argue that many people are struggling financially and working all hours so there's time deprivation and when they aren't working sitting down scrolling might be a reasonable thing to do!

Variety of experience and the way in which we choose to live our lives is a good thing.

You wouldn’t. You’ve chosen to live a life that is not compatible with doing a lot of sport/exercise (or any other time-consuming hobby).

What I think people fail to understand is that those doing a lot of exercise do so because a, they enjoy it, b. They centre their life around it.

I would not live a life like yours because it is not compatible with my sport (and my two other time consuming hobbies) which between them take up 15-20 hours a week.

Running is by far the easiest way to exercise quickly and with little fuss. Sadly I was injured about ten years ago and can’t run anymore. I cycle and swim but both are a lot more faff than running.

Chances are if you a single working parent you don’t need to “do 5 minutes exercise in your living room” because you are likely doing 10 to 15,000+ steps a day and run ragged looking after you kids.

Doing a 5 minute work out in your living room is not going to give you any more health benefits than say, taking that time to sit and relax because you’ve been on the go all day. Or reading a book. Or meditating. Or having a quick phone catch up with a friend. This idea that cramming a crappy pointless 5 minute work out into a busy stressful life should be a top priority is nonsense.

My colleagues are used to seeing me looking like a beetroot and don't bat an eyelid. 😅

She BETTER have that popcorn in her treadmill's water bottle holder!

I get to the gym twice a week. Unfortunately I don’t have childcare for my 2 year old outside of that. I do walk a lot with him though and do things like soft play and I will crawl round behind him! I also do some exercises at home but space for equipment is very limited so it’s resistance bands and small weights mainly at home.

Ah yes, I have so much time to exercise with a 2 year old by my side every second I’m not at work. I have no family within 3 hours of here and a husband working abroad. Shall I leave her home alone to go to the gym or when she’s asleep shall I ignore the cleaning/washing my hair/my physio I need to do every night for my wrists to work to do a work out?

stop being so high and mighty and understand not everyone’s circumstances are the same as yours.

I'm willing to bet that you, OP, must have some issues within your own marriage/children/family that other people don't have. How would you feel if you got judged for your own issues, just because you have your exercise regime sorted? How would you feel if someone said to you - oh we don't have x,y,z issue because we are just so fucking wonderful? Perhaps realise that people, and their circumstances, are different - then wind your neck in and deal with your own life rather than chastising others.

Actually, I'm always honest..... I never exercise, not because I don't have time, but because it's so staggeringly boring!

Why do i feel her popcorn would be plain and flavour free

Down the sh!t in butter dammit

Best thing is to get a decent amount of exercise into your daily life. Most people hate running anyway

Anyone else think Op is just a throw in a grenade, wind all the MNers up and sit back with 🍿

I'm hoping to reduce my hours from September because we've realised it's an unsustainable lifestyle.

Good point about the commute - the hubby likes running/cycling to work. But
I can't due to baby drop off (and don't get me started on cycling with babies on the back - absolute death traps).

But also, I don't think I could teach after exercise - I go ridiculously red and sweaty (I'm not fat, it's just what happens to my body). How do others manage this?

Wow you come across as very judgemental. What does it matter to you anyway? You really can't think of reasons why people genuinely wouldn't have the time to exercise?

Your children are secondary age. By something you’ve always done I assume you didn’t leave the children alone as toddlers/infant school age and had another adult to stay with them. You must see that in lots of family set ups often there’s only one adult present due to relationship breakdown or work.