To not get why people refuse to exercise?

[JumpingJacky]

Exercise near enough saved my life, literally, and I am evangelical about it but still people make so many excuses as to why they can’t do just a small amount, and don’t realise that they are suffering for it!

I have a relative who suffers from back pain. He spends a large majority of his day sitting. I have suggested various low impact exercises that I know through experience will help but he won’t do them while continuing whingeing and moaning about being in pain!

A friend who is overweight complains that she has pain in her knees and ankles and is finding walking hard which is stopping her doing stuff. I know weight loss is hard so I suggest she joins the gym (she can afford it and has time) to use the low impact machines to at least build some strength into her legs and get a bit fitter but she’s just not interested whilst continuing to whinge and moan!

I get it that exercise is hard and can make you uncomfortable and sweaty but for the benefits to your body that’s a small price to pay surely?

@PurpleDaisies

That's super weird and like abstractly selfish. It's like me being sponsored to lay in bed eating chocolate and watching Desperate Housewives.

It’s a major source of income for many charities.

They'd make just as much if people did something they didn't enjoy or something that was actually challenging them though...

Some people hate walking and running and gyms (I do) but exercise in other ways. I have a high energy hobby. If I didn't have that I would not exercise except under duress

@Ohnomoreno

I absolutely love exercise, so it was a disappointment to find that running was no longer possible with stress incontinence. I do lots of other stuff, but it's hard to attain the same level of fitness.

You probably have, but have you invested in a women's health physio assessment specifically for running? And also take a look at contam pessaries - designed for those of us with stress incontinence to do impact exercise again.

They'd make just as much if people did something they didn't enjoy or something that was actually challenging them though...

I don’t know about that. Running the London marathon/great north run etc is a pretty impressive feat and millions are raised every year. I can’t see that lots of individuals doing one off “sponsor me to listen to bagpipes” is ever going to get to that level of fundraising.

My local pool has been opened for a few weeks. I’m in England.
Any exercise is beneficial. Plenty of people don’ t like running ( I hate it) there’s walking, swimming, cycling, even gardening. Of course some conditions will make exercising difficult or even impossible ( either always or during a flare up) but most people who don’t exercise could, at least to some degree.

@EwwSprouts

*The only safe exercise i can do (as per my physio/specialist advice) is swimming, and last i checked the pools have been shut for a year. You know it’s pretty easy to google and check before posting stuff that’s wrong:*

I'm in England too and pools are definitely still shut here. I googled yesterday.

All the people I've spoken to who are regular swimmers have had their pools re-opened in the last few weeks. Are they just lucky to live in areas where pools have opened? This is council gyms they go to, not private gyms.

I understand what you’re saying exercise and healthy food can dramatically extend your life and quality of life but it is bot always easy. My excuse is that I am on my feet all day at work and so by the time I’ve come home and sorted the DC out I just want to sit down and relax my swollen feet. I’m also a single parent so I can’t go swimming or something off my feet in the evenings. It is definitely something I want to increase as I’d love to be really fit but I’ve not managed to do it yet.

@motherloaded

You're being sponsored to do something you enjoy for charity? That's super weird and like abstractly selfish.

selfish to try to do a good thing?

You can try to raise money by eating chocolate, if people are happy to give you, what is stopping you?

But why would anyone sponsor someone for eating chocolate? The charity gets the money anyway if you donate directly, why give someone the accolade of "raising" the money by doing something they'd do anyway? When I'm giving money to charity, you can bet I don't choose to do it via one of those "sponsor me to go and build a school somewhere nice and warm" grabathons.
Why not just cut out the middleman?

Bore off.

Is this a wind up?

Do you know what mental health is?

There have been days in the past where I couldn't get out of bed, let alone exercise!

What a stupid thing to say!

But why would anyone sponsor someone for eating chocolate?
The charity gets the money anyway if you donate directly, why give someone the accolade of "raising" the money by doing something they'd do anyway?
When I'm giving money to charity, you can bet I don't choose to do it via one of those "sponsor me to go and build a school somewhere nice and warm" grabathons.
Why not just cut out the middleman?

Raising awareness and it also encourages more people to join in. There is everything. Knitting, running, painting and so on.

Why do people do or not do anything? Why do people drink/smoke/eat rubbish? Evryone makes a personal choice.

"To not get" meaning "I don't understand" which is fast becoming a euphemism on mn and elsewhere for "I disapprove of how you live your life and I am expressing it through a weird arrogant faux naïveté"

Does it REALLY not occur to you that :

It may be very painful for them to do even minimal low impact exercise

They may be embarrassed of how they look/appear to others at the gym or otherwise publicly exercising

It may be something they've been advised to only do under strict supervision if at all which you may not be privy to and aren't entitled to know

That it's ultimately their choice?!

You sound very much as though you think you know best when you can't possibly know nor are you entitled to know the ins and outs of their medical and/or personal history, eg I have a relative who developed exercise addiction (yes it's a real and very damaging condition associated often with eating disorders and that sort of mental health issue) and as such can only exercise in certain ways and at certain times in order to control the addiction.

I am disabled following a car accident some years ago and now have a degenerative spinal condition. I'm also overweight. The number of people (inc hcps) who've given me utterly clueless and potentially dangerous exercise advice is shocking tbh.

It would not simply "be uncomfortable" for me it could land me in a wheelchair!

Do you honestly do EVERYTHING according to it being the healthiest option? Eat a completely unprocessed plant based diet? Live in the country away from pollution? Minimal use of screens? Don't drive? Of course you don't! You will do things which aren't optimal for health too - because that is your choice and your decision - respect the choices of others too.

Your DH’s PT must have been pretty shit what a supremely arrogant comment! You have no idea of the full facts of the situation. Even two people with the same condition can require very different treatment based on any number of factors.

So I kind of think I am entitled to preach seeing as I’ve been there myself no you're not - because YOUR story and medical history is NOT anyone else's that's just not possible.

It worked for you - great - but please for the love of god don't pester others and make people who probably already feel pretty shit about their lives feel even worse just because they don't follow your (potentially dangerous) advice. I hope to god you aren't "advising" people with medical issues as you clearly aren't qualified and also lack a great amount of understanding how to genuinely motivate people

It's like fat shaming - it doesn't work and if anything it's more likely to make the person think it's pointless even trying to change things.

But why would anyone sponsor someone for eating chocolate?

God knows, but (some) people give to charity when they sponsor someone, while they don't give otherwise. So that's why.

The pool reopened on the 12th same as the gym here. It was also open between July and until the beginning of November, then reopened at the beginning of December for a few weeks same as national guidelines afaik so was open almost half of the last year! I only know as I do 40 lengths as a cool down after my 2 hour gym session which I cycle there and back to. Excuses, excuses.

Can I just say to people saying exercise hurts to try low impact exercise like the crosstrainer and light weights to start. We are not designed to run long distances. It’s supposed to be in short spurts to get away from predators or annoying exercise bores.

So many rude people on here 🥑.

Exercise for many people is difficult and boring.

We are also not designed to lug around 18 stone. But many of us do...

@motherloaded

But why would anyone sponsor someone for eating chocolate?

God knows, but (some) people give to charity when they sponsor someone, while they don't give otherwise. So that's why.

Yeah, I suppose...

Can I just say to people saying exercise hurts to try low impact exercise like the crosstrainer and light weights to start?

Can I just say your advice is not wanted.? This is what every single one of your friends is thinking. You don’t know anything about why exercise hurts these people

Plenty of posters on the thread have told you to stop it and you’re still preaching. Stop. Just stop.
.

@JumpingJacky

The pool reopened on the 12th same as the gym here. It was also open between July and until the beginning of November, then reopened at the beginning of December for a few weeks same as national guidelines afaik so was open almost half of the last year! I only know as I do 40 lengths as a cool down after my 2 hour gym session which I cycle there and back to. Excuses, excuses.

Can I just say to people saying exercise hurts to try low impact exercise like the crosstrainer and light weights to start. We are not designed to run long distances. It’s supposed to be in short spurts to get away from predators or annoying exercise bores.

So many rude people on here 🥑.

And yet more self satisfied smuggery.

Don't need a cross trainer to exercise, I must walk miles at work. Work in care and that is exercise enough as it is.

I used to love exercising, ran 8 miles 4 x a week, then did kettlebells and spinning on the other days. I also had a horse so riding, stable chores etc. alongside. Whatever the weather, whatever my mood, I'd be out there. I looked great and I was super fit and yep, mentally it was good for me. However, I was also child-free, didn't have a high-pressure job, so had the luxury of time and freedom to do whatever I wanted when I wanted, and I was young and injury-free.

6 years down the line, my job is extremely busy and stressful (so are many, I'm aware I'm not unique and lots of people manage to exercise anyway), I've got a toddler, I fucked my ankle up doing an obstacle course 4 years ago so it's swollen and hurts frequently, I've got full-thickness cartilage loss in my knees that rules out most of the exercise I enjoy (I can manage low-level jogging but every time I step it up it hurts and I've been advised not to even do that), and I've lost the love for it. It doesn't make my feel good any more, it just hurts my knees. Mentally, I do feel better for exercising, but I have to balance that pretty carefully with being able to walk not hobble. Not being as physically able these days pisses me off, too. I'm used to being the fit, strong one, not the one that has to modify exercises for dodgy joints. I walk lots, garden, and ride still, and I go for occasional jogs and kettlebell sessions, but I wouldn't have counted most of it as "proper exercise" in the past, and I probably don't now, really. Anyone evangelising to me about how I should just do more exercise with no understanding of my situation would get pretty short shrift. However, I recognise that I was also an exercise wanker evangelising to people about its benefits irregardless of their situations 6 years ago, so it's probably karma.

Our local pools (West Sussex) reopened on April 12th. Pools are now allowed to open, (with a cap on numbers etc) but it is of course possible that some have chosen not to (not sure why they would choose this though as assume most will need the income! It costs a lot to maintain the pool and the buildings even when no one is using it).

@PurpleDaisies

The only safe exercise i can do (as per my physio/specialist advice) is swimming, and last i checked the pools have been shut for a year. You know it’s pretty easy to google and check before posting stuff that’s wrong:

Our local pools are all still shut.

because i don't want to.