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?

fact such as exercising improves physical and mental health

Ever heard of exercise addiction, OP? Or eating disorders? Exercise in these circs is massively damaging to both physical and mental health. So your fact is anything but in some situations and YABmassivelyU.

You are right that people should excessive, but I don’t believe you don’t understand why some people don’t. People are lazy.
I find gym and running dull and boring. Luckily I’ve found other sports that I enjoy, but if i had to go to the gym and actually exercise as such, I wouldn’t.

Even with my disabilities, I adore exercise. However, if I meet the evangelical type idiots the only part I’m going to exercise is my leg muscles as I drop kick you into a pond.

You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

You may be right but people don't like be preached at. I'd tell you to sod off!

My first

* Well when I say evangelical it’s more that I was extremely overweight (over 18 stone).*

Op you are enormous. Huge! Take yourself back to when you first started exercising. I can’t imagine how many times you must have thought that you hated setting up from a chair, let alone exercising.

So I suppose that must be the logic.

I’ve never even been half that weight (even when pregnant) and I adore exercising but... I can totally appreciate why it must be so hard for some that they give up

You were huge

The only advice you should be dispensing when people tell you about their back/knee/joint pain, op, is to seek medical help.
You can potentially do untold damage by devising little exercise routines to "help" when you haven't a clue what you're doing.

I bet the op didn’t start exercising after someone helpfully preached at her.

Pain is all-consuming and exhausting. I don't blame anyone who's in chronic pain for not being able to summon up the mental and physical energy to be able to exercise, even though it obviously has benefits.

It took reaching 18 stone and your DH's nagging to get you to exercise. Why did it take you so long to realise how fun exercise is?

Honestly, you sound a bit naive about things OP. I’d say leave people alone, you may think you are ‘entitled to preach’ but actually you’re not, and if you carry on don’t be shocked when people feel entitled to tell you to F off in response.

Aren’t you the hero preaching at others. 🙄
Stop judging, you have no right.

The average life expectancy in the UK is 81 ish years.

Even if I did hate exercise as much as some people on here (who seem to have try everything and know that they simply cannot like anything ever), even if, I am not spending the next 40+ years of my life struggling to come out of the sofa and too weak to walk a couple of miles because my body was forgotten.

Use it or lose it.

@Justmuddlingalong

It took reaching 18 stone and your DH's nagging to get you to exercise. Why did it take you so long to realise how fun exercise is?

Honestly. It's just so tone deaf to start a thread claiming to be mystified as to why anyone wouldn't avail themselves of this Fabulous! Fun! Free! resource having already admitted that they were once 18 stone and had to be nagged into doing it themselves. Ridiculous.

Well aren’t you a peach? Do fuck off.

Great fun to look like this when you exercise. It's twice as itchy as it looks and comes up even on the soles of my feet and the palms of my hands
I'm currently undergoing treatment but I've had it for 24 years or so. They will be happy if I can have a hot bath without it coming up, exercise isn't the goal

@JumpingJacky

I think it’s very complex and attitudes start in childhood. Parents who promote exercise create adults who understand the benefit of exercise.

Children whose parents throw them in the car, turn the television on or accept ‘they don’t like sport’ do them a huge disservice.

The however sounds like a criticism of single parents, but isn’t intended to be. It is much easier to encourage exercise, to stand on the touchline, to take a child cycling, if there are two of you. Swimming with little ones is easier with two. Paying for tennis club or ballet is easier with two incomes. Encouraging your children is easier if they ‘fit in’ with Canterbury under armour or Bloch ankle warmers and wraps.

If you’re run ragged working, getting children to school or nursery, shopping and cooking it’s much harder to find the energy to get to ParkRun.

I think why people don’t is easy to understand. I think as adults you need to find what works for you and understand however hard getting up and out is, it brings huge benefits. There should be more social prescribing of gym membership and support groups, adult swimming lessons and planned cold water swimming as mental health therapy alongside talking or drugs. Dancing should be more widespread for the elderly to maintain core strength and balance. GPs should be able to refer to dance groups supervised by physios.

Definitely we should encourage more but need to step outside the usual boxes.

Do you get many social invitations?

You went years in pain and were overweight before you eventually changed, and it’s worked for you - great. So from your years of experience, you should be able to understand why people haven’t just instantly done what you took years to do. People will do it if and when they are ready - you preaching to them isn’t going to suddenly give them a Eureka moment. Some may never be ready, for a multitude of reasons. I’m sure there are things in your own life you need to work on - why not just focus on those instead of criticising other people?

* think it’s very complex and attitudes start in childhood. Parents who promote exercise create adults who understand the benefit of exercise. *

Children whose parents throw them in the car, turn the television on or accept ‘they don’t like sport’ do them a huge disservice.

The however sounds like a criticism of single parents, but isn’t intended to be.

Why on earth does what you save I’ve sound like a criticism of single parents?

You have inadvertently provided insight into YOUR view on single parents

Exercises are really tedious IMO. I'll happily go for a walk or swim for an hour but I'm not doing exercises or going to a gym - paying to do something I hate?! Not thanks.

Because, quite honestly, I fucking hate it. No I don't get that "buzz" from exercise. Release of endorphins? Where are they?

I get sweaty. And sore. And uncomfortable. And tired. It's bloody horrible and I despise doing it. Good for you that you like it but the reason why everyone doesn't exercise enough to keep healthy and lose weight is simply because it ticking sucks. If it were enjoyable to everyone we would all do it.

I hate it, I hate dragging myself out at 5 in the morning and again at 6 at night to do it but my weight Loss stalled so I knew I had to get moving

I don't blame people for not wanting to do any exercise. It's up to them what they do.