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?

Boring, expensive (for trainers, sports bras etc), not enjoyable.

I used to do a lot of waking. But now everyone is walking it feels too busy everywhere.

I love exercise myself and really got into running a couple of years ago. I stopped recently as I'm currently 11 weeks pregnant and so bloody anxious to do anything beyond walking as I had a MMC last year. Hoping to get back to it with the great weather we're having just now.
I understand what you're saying OP but you can't force people to do something they don't want to do. You can lead a horse to water but that doesn't mean it will drink it (is that the right phrase?)

I would eat a doughnut every time you started going on

This tickled me

@JumpingJacky I get it, I do, but I also know the other side of it.

Different people have different motivations, not to mention that their perceptions and attitudes to their bodies and to exercise have been shaped by a lifetime of experiences, some of which will have affected them very differently.

Then of course, there's a lack of belief and hope that exercise might help. Once you've lived with pain and limited mobility - in fact once you've lived your life one way - it's very difficult (impossible for some people) to imagine things being different.

For many people, the mindshift required is just too great. And it'll take much more than witnessing your own transformation to show them otherwise - you're an entirely different person, with an entirely different life, body and experiences.

What about those who have things that made exercise additionally harder or impossible that you know nothing of? Many people choose not disclose to others conditions or injuries that make things harder for them than for others.

Likewise, they may have already tried it and it didn't work for them. Perhaps it made things worse. You have no way of knowing, nor do you have any way of knowing if the problems they may have encountered could be overcome.

Don't judge, your life is your concern and theirs is theirs.

Its very very frustrating being a medical professional , watching people suffer from multiple illnesses both physical and mental when exercise will help almost all of them in some shape or form. I have recently given up a part of my practice after many years because sound advice given day after day, year after year is ignored by so many . Not all I might add. So many patients improve when they can make changes.I couldn't do it any more as I found it to be soul destroying . No judgment as to the why's or wherefores only my perspective.

@pooonastick

Its very very frustrating being a medical professional , watching people suffer from multiple illnesses both physical and mental when exercise will help almost all of them in some shape or form. I have recently given up a part of my practice after many years because sound advice given day after day, year after year is ignored by so many . Not all I might add. So many patients improve when they can make changes.I couldn't do it any more as I found it to be soul destroying . No judgment as to the why's or wherefores only my perspective.

I totally understand your frustration but many NHS staff are not good role models to patients as many are themselves obese.

@pooonastick it's frustrating, I miss exercise but my urticaria is so severe I can't manage it, and they can't get it under control

@Countrygirl2021

*It hurts. There, does that answer your question. You do what you want/like, I’ll do my miserly 6k steps a day and slob on the sofa all evening.*

That's fine as long as you don't then expect taxpayers via the NHS to pay when you have joint problens/ back pain / obesity / type 2 diabetes.

Well let's hope you don't expect taxpayers to pay for your treatment if you get in a car and have an accident, get hit by a bus while crossing the road or injure yourself while exercising. Unless you live in a sealed box wrapped in cotton wool you'll be making choices which put you at risk of injury or illness. Life is a series of risks. And given we all pay into the NHS, we're all entitled to seek help if we need it.

Massively dickish comment, by the way.

good lord, all the people going 'my pool is open' good for you.

My local pool that is open when i'm available to go swimming, isn't opening until the 17th.

The main point of that though, is because of my skeletal issues, my SPECIALIST DR has told me not to do anything other than swim, because gym/running/low impact shit is not good for my joints/spine.

So if ANYONE who ISNT my DR told me to do 'xyz' to lose weight, they'd be told to get stuffed, because my dr knows whats good for me a lot more than some random exercise nut who thinks my reluctance to run/gym is why i'm fat, or that my wieight is why i have skeletal issues (its not)

[quote KisstheTeapot14]@AfterSchoolWorry you and me both.

I try so hard to keep weight down. I want to exercise. I can only do it when my CFS is not playing up - which has been for about 4 weeks in total this year. I do what I can within my window - even walking to work some days is not an option. I'd be too knackered to do anything by the time I got there - as even having a bath and getting dressed some mornings often means I have to lie down![/quote]
Same,

@Excilente

good lord, all the people going 'my pool is open' good for you.

My local pool that is open when i'm available to go swimming, isn't opening until the 17th.

The main point of that though, is because of my skeletal issues, my SPECIALIST DR has told me not to do anything other than swim, because gym/running/low impact shit is not good for my joints/spine.

So if ANYONE who ISNT my DR told me to do 'xyz' to lose weight, they'd be told to get stuffed, because my dr knows whats good for me a lot more than some random exercise nut who thinks my reluctance to run/gym is why i'm fat, or that my wieight is why i have skeletal issues (its not)

Oh I feel you.

So many nosey fuckers 'well meaning' people have told me that if I exercised/lost weight my RA would go away. What they can't get their heads around is the fact that I was a size 10 when diagnosed, so my weight didn't cause it; RA is an autoimmune condition, not joint wear and tear; my feet/ankles/knees/wrists are all mangled to fuck so exercise hurts to the point of impossibility; exercise brings on flares which damage my joints further; fatigue is a feature of RA - try exercising when walking to the toilet is a painful, knackering struggle; I am a recovering anorexic so dieting is a minefield; and yes, my consultant has told me not to exercise.

Stick your squats and your judgement where the sun don't shine.

That's fine as long as you don't then expect taxpayers via the NHS to pay when you have joint problens/ back pain / obesity / type 2 diabetes

So who do you expect to pick up the bill when your ACL goes or you've twisted an ankle? Have you ever seen an A&E on a Saturday afternoon (pre- covid it was worse), sports injuries are two-a-penny.

That's fine as long as you don't then expect taxpayers via the NHS to pay when you have joint problens/ back pain / obesity / type 2 diabetes

I think people should take responsibility for their health. But most things we need treatment for, can in some way be traced back to something we’re doing or not doing so this argument just doesn’t work.
And to be honest, we’re often not given the right advice in terms of the best things for our health, by the government...but that’s a whole other thread.

I had to have my toe x rayed when I dropped a dumbbell on it. Should the nhs have paid for that?

So who do you expect to pick up the bill when your ACL goes or you've twisted an ankle? Have you ever seen an A&E on a Saturday afternoon (pre- covid it was worse), sports injuries are two-a-penny.

Yep. I took up running about 12 years ago in my mid-30s. Helped me lose some weight (though tbh that was mostly down to diet, because exercise alone does almost bugger all for weight loss unless you're doing an absolute ton of it).

I grew to love running, to my astonishment. But the only joint problems I've ever had in my life have occurred since I took up running, caused by running. I was careful, didn't overdo it, built up my distance really gradually etc. Still ended up with a stress fracture, knee pain and plantar fasciitis!

Runners are always getting injured. And cyclists. And mountain walkers. Not swimmers, admittedly, but I loathe swimming!

@Frymetothemoon

I exercise only because I know I have to, but I HATE IT with a vengeance. Is that good enough for you?

Me too. Mostly because despite it being 'good it is for me' it feels like a punishment and on days I am feeling bad, the punishment if having to exercise as well is almost unbearable

I get no post of exercise endorphin high and just have to rest for ages afterwards. Regardless of how long I do it for (4-6 times a week for months at a time,it never gets s and easier, in fact it gets harder every day to do it until I usually stop about 4-6 months after I started. Then a while later the guilt gets too bad and I start exercising again until a few months later I can't bear it any more and I stop for a while. Then the guilt .... and the cycle just repeats . It is 40 years of this now so I think I've given it a chance

My life is hard enough without spending my limited amount of free time doing something I don’t enjoy. When I have free time, my priorities are: 1. Sleep, 2. Enjoy a shower on my own without being hassled, 3. Relax mentally by reading or similar. Exercise is a distant 4th on the list. I rarely get as far as 2 never mind 4.

The other thing is that exercise is expensive. I can’t afford to go to a gym. And a gym trip plus driving there and taking a shower is at least 2hrs - I don’t remember the last time I had 2hrs to myself. Lucky you if you have that sort of free time on a regular basis OP.

Exercise isn't expensive. My outlay was 7.99 for yoga mat...

Most people seem to find time to be on social media and watch tv, but not time to exercise
I can do those things in the same room as the kids. But I can’t leave the kids to go to the gym or for a run.

@SchrodingersImmigrant

Exercise isn't expensive. My outlay was 7.99 for yoga mat...

Do you not wear a sports bra? I have small boobs, but if I do yoga in a normal bra it's very uncomfortable and stretches it it out of shape.

Exercise isn't expensive. My outlay was 7.99 for yoga mat...
Plus the cost of a yoga class. Plus the cost of a babysitter so you can go to the yoga class. Unless you think I can exercise in front of the tv with children wanting to sit on my mat with me and climbing on my back every time I lie down?

Exercise is not expensive there are so manyhigh quality free work outs on You Tube.

@Ariannah

Most people seem to find time to be on social media and watch tv, but not time to exercise I can do those things in the same room as the kids. But I can’t leave the kids to go to the gym or for a run.

Yeah and when I do yoga or hiit at home they try to "help" or join in. Which mainly involves getting in my way.

@OrangeRug Oh dear the exercise phobes are getting all offended

It's nothing to do with being an "exercise phobe". I was a high performance athlete and attended university on a sports scholarship. I subsequently got injured and almost doubled my body weight. I lost the weight and ran a marathon - but I HATE HATE HATE running. I'm definitely not an "exercise phobe" but OP is definitely being offensive.
When I complain that my back hurts it's because I broke it, not because I'm not doing enough exercise. OP has no medical training or qualifications relating to exercise or anatomy and is telling people which exercises to do to help them - she could be making people much much much worse. It's no different from telling people to take certain medications when you have no medical training. Furthermore, she's sending out the message that exercise fixes all mental health issues - it doesn't and often exercise can be harmful (consider eating disorders, compulsive behaviours, etc).
So, not only is OP giving out advice that is WRONG and DANGEROUS. She's giving it out to people who didn't ask for it, don't want it and explicitly asked her to stop giving it. It's not about exercise, it's about manners.

@Ariannah

Exercise isn't expensive. My outlay was 7.99 for yoga mat... Plus the cost of a yoga class. Plus the cost of a babysitter so you can go to the yoga class. Unless you think I can exercise in front of the tv with children wanting to sit on my mat with me and climbing on my back every time I lie down?

What yoga class. 🤷🏻

Honestly, it's fine to say "I don't want to do it" but coming up with "it's expensive" when you can actually workout for free at home is just not right.

Exercise does not need to be expensive or take hours. Your cardiovascular system beenfits from much less than people think.

Exercise is not expensive there are so many high quality free work outs on You Tube
And your kids let you do these workouts without climbing on your back, or sobbing because you aren’t playing Lego with them, or getting in the way so you end up hitting them in the face with a dumbbell? And the kids let you have a shower afterwards too, without banging on the door or climbing in with all their clothes on?