80% of women too unfit to be healthy?

[FlowerArranger]

I listened to Women's Hour while doing my workout today. In a segment on women in sport, one contributor stated that research shows that 80% of women are too unfit to be healthy.

I Googled and found a reference to a Canadian study from 2007 and CDC research from 2013:

A new (US) government study estimates that nearly 80 percent of adult Americans do not get the recommended amounts of exercise each week, potentially setting themselves up for years of health problems.

www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-80-percent-of-american-adults-dont-get-recommended-exercise/

I don't suppose British women do much better? If this is indeed true, it is is shocking.

I remember when my children were little and I was working full-time, there was little or no time to exercise in a formal way - though I'm sure all the running after them and running up and down stairs and housework and gardening kept me fit enough!

If this is you, you are excused......... but what about all the years before and after looking after children? Why don't women exercise enough to keep themselves healthy? Which the CDC defined as:

at least 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or a combination of both

Personally I (in my 60s) work out most days and I feel so much better for it.

YABU - I don't see the need to exercise regularly
YANBU - regular exercise is vital

YANBU but it is complex as many girls start opting out of exercise and sport in their teens, so they don't enter adulthood with exercise habits, and if the habit isn't there when they become parents it's harder to prioritise.

DH and I both had active hobbies before we had children so that exercise time is important to both of us. There was never any question of us giving it up, though the regularity and intensity has obviously decreased.

Compare that to a situation where Mum has no hobbies or exercise before children and Dad does. Baby arrives and Dad wants to maintain exercise because it's important, Mum never had a fitness hobby so it wasn't a priority and then years later Mum realises she wants to start working out and it's a much bigger struggle than the Mum down the road who always had an interest in fitness. The fitness gap gets wider and is even more pronounced in households where big important man-exercise is king and takes up huge amounts of time.

Well I guess we are the first role models for our kids

Just been through the NHS list. I manage more than 10,000 steps a day at work (teacher) and am constantly up and down stairs, picking up my toddler and lifting heavy bags. I don’t get chance to go out an exercise as I hate running and it would be bad for my joints due to an orthopaedic condition I have. I do wish I could go swimming at least once a week but life and other commitments just doesn’t currently permit it.

I walk most days early evening for 30/40 mins. I know I need to do something more vigorous but while time is short I feel it is a start I can make.

I'm old, well beyond 60. I just walk but not if it's cold or raining. A few minutes of lifting cans of beans weights and I get bored with it.

I have a resting heart rate of 45 according to my Apple watch, and the rate goes up to 90 + when walking fast. That's good enough for me. I could never go to the gym, too much pressure to be super fit and slim and have all the right gear and gym bags that match your lycra and feeling that I will be judged, so nope.

Am very very lucky not to have any joint or mobility problems at my age. And as a lifelong exercise (gym, swimming, running) avoider I'm not doing too bad.

I don’t know why more formal exercise classes are not designed to fit in with family life? Surely it’s not that hard to set up parent/child dance classes or have children playing ball games on
a sports pitch and parents running around the perimeter? I think that’s why Park Run has been so successful because whole families can join in. It just takes a bit of imagination to expand the idea.

It's the lack of immediate gratification that is at the heart of it for me. I know logically that it will make me less decrepit in the long term, but in the short term there is little benefit. It's not enjoyable, there's no endorphin rush, competitive sport is humiliating and pointless, running is dreadful and embarrassing, and the gym is boring and full of twats.

I force myself to do three lots of exercise a week - a swimming lesson, a Joe Wicks, and maybe a session doing weights - but resent every second that could otherwise be spent playing Two Dots or just about anything else.

This lack of immediate gratification sees it fall down the priority list to the level of 'cleaning' or 'sorting out pension'.

i never learned to enjoy exercise as a child. I’m also not competitive so team sports never appealed. I also hate washing my hair because it takes so long to dry (and I’m seriously low maintenance - just a hairdryer used) so I don’t like getting sweaty as it means I have to wash my hair more often.
but last year I finally found my thing! And now I workout 3-4times/week. I do it as soon as the kids are in bed. I used to just crash and scroll for half an hour so it was wasted time.

I think this has changed a lot since the days I was young and I think OP is an exception rather than the rule by exercising regularly in her 60s.

I am in the same age group and only two of all the friends I know exercise regularly, one took it up after recovering from cancer and the other after a major trauma but the rest of us are, undoubtedly unfit (better at gin than gym).

I think girls weren't really into exercise at school and we didn't play sport or exercise after we had children as my daughters and their friends do now.
I hope I may manage more after retirement but whether I will change the habits of a lifetime remains to be seen...

I used to always to do over 10k steps a day and managed to stay in shape as a sahm.
But since going to work full time in a desk job it's impossible. My kids both make the required NHS activity levels. They are both primary age but county level at sport so whilst they are unbelievably fit and healthy that means my spare time is spent in the car driving them places which means I loose potential tkme. We've ran out of time in the weekend to do the long walks that we used to love. DH works most evenings so I only have 2 nights that I could fit in getting out and both those I spend taking kids to activities.

Working full time. ensuring you get the recommended excercise and the kids all get that too is a hard balance.

You don’t need to go anywhere, though. Just half an hour and YouTube PT and you can do some cardio or tabata (with no equipment) in the privacy of your own home. I got into it during lockdown and my body has never looked so good.

I'm quite lucky that the work I do for my business is very physical and I enjoy gardening so get lots of exercise. I'm not a fan of exercising for fitness I need to have another purpose!

You really don’t.
stick to only unprocessed foods for one month -no white potatoes, rice bread or pasta, no refined sugar or wheat. Nothing that been overly processed in a factory.
Only eggs, meat, fish, meat, veg and some nuts and fruit.
I promise by the end of that month you will notice a big difference.

MargaritaRita I think you are my twin (except I love a good long walk in the rain) 🙂

The UK stats are different from the US ones. Actually the UK stats show that less than half of the women surveyed had done no 'vigorous' exercise in the last year - which means over half had.
I've always exercised except when injured but that's the sort of nuance that broad brushstroke headlines miss - exercise doesn't happen in a vacuum. You need space, time and a degree of health (or timely medical appointments).

I am not shocked by the finding and I think as a society we have lost sight of what healthy looks and feels like. As a family we are very mindful about healthy eating habits and getting movement in and doing this with the children. I do yoga classes with my toddler, I tell them when I am going to a workout class and why its important for me to have that time, we go on a couple hour long pram/toddler walks per day and my husband works out with our children around him every-night. They dance, pretend they are lifting weights too. We spend a lot of time outdoors, in the rain, cold, wind, etc. It is really important to us that our children know that being comfortable at all times isn't healthy and that we normalize movement and being outdoors. Our children love healthy food because that is all they have ever known at home, we don't eat ready made meals or packaged foods. They help me make homemade breads, healthy muffins, pick out fruits and veggies at the markets so that they know how to replicate healthy eating and cooking as an adult too. Being healthy is not just about prolonging life but it drastically improves the overall quality of life. Healthy people eat healthy food and prioritize working out over TV, social media, etc.

I’m not surprised. Lots of people claim they don’t have time to exercise or cook. Often I don’t believe them, I think they just cba so they make excuses.
The most frustrating people are the ones who complain they’re unfit/ no energy/ overweight etc and there’s not enough hours in the day to do anything about it. But they drive everywhere even places within easy walking distance. Buy a ready meal or a sandwich every day and a can of pop, not a single fruit or veg in sight. Sit down for the best part of an hour chatting about all the tv shows they watched last night. Snack on chocolate and crisps more than once and every day. Sleep in late every morning 🙄

I’m not saying exercising and eating nutritious meals will miraculously solve all health problems. But if you’re not doing that then you’re not giving your body the best chance. We only get one body, looking after it is one of the most important things you can do, especially for the sake of your kids. Surely it should be a pretty high priority.

People resent spending time or money on these things. I think many people need to allocate a larger proportion of their resources to eating well and exercising. Broadly speaking, there needs to be a huge shift in mindset and attitudes.

For me it's habit, and also not wanting to have to go through the awful lung burning stage of totally unfit again
I remember an instructor saying she enjoyed working out 20% of the time, hated 10% and the other 70% was just habit. I guess it's like showering, I don't always enjoy a shower but I do like feeling clean after and putting my pjs on

My motivation is I get to do it. I don't have to, but I get to because my body now allows me to

I thank my lucky stars that I really enjoy outdoor exercise and competitive sport as that is what gives me the drive to keep fit.
It does require support & tolerance from family, a certain degree of selfishness and a willingness to forgo telly & chores.
But I don't know who I'd be without it.

I wasn’t good at PE at school, probably dyspraxic, but was very academically successful, plenty of friends and slim so trying other forms of exercise wasn’t a priority.

I dipped in and out of exercise as a student and in my 20s but it wasn’t important to me. I think got immersed in work and dc, split up with my partner etc. I could have fitted in exercise I’m sure but it simply wasn’t how I wanted to spend my time.

I would say that it’s been since I turned 40 that exercise has had any meaning for me. I started to dabble again in mini workouts, then did couch to 5k. I only like running out doors in nice weather so joined the gym and now run 20k/ week in a treadmill and do 20-30 min brisk walking each day as part of my commute. I really feel the benefits in terms of my mental health and physical fitness and want to stay fit as I get older, coming up to 45 now and I can see the difference exercise and maintaining a healthy weight makes in later life.

And yes to PP about getting outdoors whatever the weather. The weather is no excuse! Just need to dress appropriately. If it’s snowing are the kids staying inside no of course not. But people rather make excuses why it’s not possible.

Time prevents me.
I get up at 545 and leave home at 6:15. Get to work just after 7. Leave work 530/6 ish, home 6:30/7. Get tea ready for disabled relatives and then spend an hour playing games with my mum who has dementia. Get them settled and ready for bed. Get to my sofa about 9, do an hours prep for the next day, bed about 10:15. Sleep repeat.

My question to people who claim to not have time to exercise is : ‘How many hours per week do you spend watching TV & on the Internet / social media on your phone?’ Very few people could honestly answer ‘fewer than 20 hours’.

20 hours?! I used to get plenty of exercise while I worked part time. Now I've gone back full time I don't have time. I really miss it, both physically and mentally. I might start managing the occasional evening run once it gets lighter.

Exercise for the sake of it is mind-numbingly boring. I’m tired and hungry after a full day at work and the idea of doing something so incredibly dull and physically uncomfortable for another hour makes me want to scream.

I guess running 3-4 x 5ks per week would cover the vigorous intensity exercise.

I find this easy to fit in because it’s 30-40 mins plus I take the dog ticking a job off the list. I