People who are too busy to do exercise

Well that's amazing for you and you're clearly very proud of yourself.

There are a lot more barriers to exercise than you seem to think.

I might have 30-40 minutes spare, but by the time my work day is finished, my children are cared for and I have done my other hobbies which benefit my mental and physical health, it is very difficult for someone with chronic fatigue to use that 30 minutes to do exercise.

I absolutely do not have time to spend days recovering if I accidentally push myself too far and end up triggering my medical problems, which also cause the chronic fatigue.

I can't run due to joint problems. I don't like to swim because the chlorine really irritates my eyes and my asthma. Gym classes are tricky because I have to be free at the right time to go which is not often. I'm generally limited to things I can do at home in my own time, and can only do that when my small child isn't going to come in and try to "help".

Add in ADHD and the difficulties around executive function, the stress of trying to decide what exercise to do, work out what to wear, make sure it's been laundered and put away where it should have been, then factor in showering and getting dressed again when I get home- that's a lot of steps to work through.

I'm happy for you that you are able bodied and can use that 30-40 minutes, but if you ask me to join you and I say "I don't have time," I mean all of the above, but am assuming that you would rather use YOUR time for something more valuable than hearing it all.

You appear to have very low self esteem and have assigned your worth to the amount of running you can do in a 7 day period.

Your personality is more than the miles you rack up and it would benefit you to reflect inwards instead of projecting on those you deem not as great as you

It takes you 40mins to run 4 miles? Do you have very short legs?

I have two young children (youngest one is an infant) and I would love to exercise but their needs and house chores and life admin are prioritised to exercise. Your circumstances are different to many people. For me personally to be able to do exercise I must be: 1) have no children to care for (they must be in a childcare setting) 2) All life admin and house chores must be complete

I had thoughts around this recently too. I understand people, for a variety of reasons don't prioritise their own health and fitness and can then take the view that you must have the luxury of more time and / or money than they do but I guess they take that approach to make themselves feel a bit better. I've experienced it myself and in hindsight I'd say most comments come from insecurity and most people do know deep down that exercise is a good thing.

This

That's a bit unnecessary, telling someone to fuck off because you didn't like what she said. Always be nice

I thought op had a useful advice for those who don't find time for exercise but this thread was about berating them 🙄

“… have 2DC who are admittedly at secondary school now…

I mean the answer is right there in your post OP….. You can squeeze in exercise to your busy lifestyle because your children are old enough to leave. Those still in the trenches of small children and no second adult present don’t have that luxury, irrespective of other factors. It’s not rocked science really…

Congratulations on being better than the people around you.

Or just.... having more spoons.

I'm pretty sure this is rage bait! Anyone arrogant enough to think everyone can trot off for a four-mile run whenever they feel like it, isn't going to be boasting about it on Mumsnet, are they...?

OP, you only have 1 job and your children are in secondary school. No mention of other caring responsibilities. Surely you can see that you do not have a busy lifestyle compared with many people?!

I used to work out 4 times a week. Now I don't at all. I am a SAHM to a 4 month old and a toddler who isn't in nursery. I sleep when they sleep (in the same bed as them because they both need me in the night).

Someday I will exercise again but right now it's not a priority. I have to find time to eat, cook, shower, do groceries, spend time with DH, tidy, arrange appointments and do other admin. All while caring for small needy people 24/7. Exercise ends up being pushed down the list. That's not making excuses, that's just how it is.

Ever thought that people have different priorities and different ideas of self care?

You're prioritising a run as self care, someone else might prefer to use that time to watch TV, or have a bath or do whatever the feck they like...

Why on earth do you care about other people’s exercise habits?

Nice attempt to out-smug the op there 🙄 But the recommendation is for 75 minutes of vigorous exercise or 150 minutes of moderate exercise (or a mixture of the two). So op is doing fine.

Be careful OP - you could be a non exerciser at some point too.

I somewhat agree with you OP. It’s not necessarily a lack of time to exercise as I am sure anyone can spare even just 10 mins to work out to a short video on YouTube. However, I think energy levels and motivation are the real issue and after being at work or caring for children all day sometimes people just don’t have the energy or motivation to exercise. I come home mentally exhausted from my job and even though I could do with losing a few lbs, I simply can’t be arsed most of the time. I’ll admit I’m a bit lazy. But I also find exercise such as running or yoga incredibly boring so it had to be something fun else I won’t stick to it.

Ok, you win!

Well obviously!

I schedule in gym on Mondays which is my only day off work. I have a disabled child (and a non-disabled one). Couldn't leave her alone at all.

So yeah, YABU.

@Nottsandcrosses And I'm saying I understand why someone who doesn't have the space for a decent workout, freedom
to go for a jog or class with a kid in tow may find exercise less enjoyable & rewarding....

I do agree with you OP that most people don't actually have no time to exercise but, as someone who does struggle to squeeze it in myself, it's more that you have other things you need/want to do in your free time that you prioritise over it. Rightly or wrongly.

I have a full-time job and a 2 year old, those 2 things take up the majority of my time. I also have a husband to spend time with, friends I want to see, shopping/washing/cleaning/tidying/cooking etc I need to do. And amongst that, when I have a free hour, sometimes I just want to sit on the sofa 🙈

So yes, I do theoretically have time to exercise and know I should prioritise it more for my health, but it really can feel tough for many people when every day just seems to fly by.

Ok, you win!

It depends why you exercise. Exercise in itself doesn’t help weight loss. I focus more on what I’m eating and being healthy that wash. Plus I run around after my toddler and child everyday and I can’t leave them on their own to exercise. If I had a bit of child free time I definitely would not be using it for exercise (unless shopping counts as exercise to you 😀) So that will have to do!

This

Well she sits in the corner on the couch away from everything with her ipad and lunch box, she knows she absolutely can not walk around and is always only about a max of 8 feet away from me at any one time.

My sessions are strength based training, so alot of weights.