People who are too busy to do exercise

[Hollyandivygoout]

I run about 4 miles, 4 times a week. I’m in a routine and force myself to do it even when I can’t be arsed. It takes me about 30-40 minutes each time I go for a run and I squeeze it in early morning, before dinner, just whenever I can really. I work full time and have 2DC who are admittedly at secondary school now, but this is something I’ve always done.
My AIBU is finding it annoying when people tell me they don’t have time to do any exercise. It’s like they’re so busy and important and I’ve got all the time in the world. I honestly don’t believe that the vast majority of people can’t squeeze in half an hour a few times a week.

It's the same reason my DP has no time for housework / DIY but can spend 4 hours a night playing Zelda...

There are so many reasons people struggle with this, including;

• single parents - work all day, care for children morning / evening, evening / night spent tidying, admin, cleaning, washing
• flats / small homes - tough to do indoor exercise if there is one living space and other adults / children in it all of the time, poor weather and build environments outside that make exercise challenging / unsafe
• shift workers - hard to build routine, juggling caring responsibilities
• people living in poor built up environments - poor paths, estates that don’t feel safe, busy roads, expensive leisure facilities
• carers - working by day, seeing elderly relatives in the evening and at weekends, balancing everything else in the mix
• people who work long hours and multiple jobs - my last three days have been children, work, children, work, bed - there hasn’t been an obvious break and I’m knackered

People are busy, the weather is depressing and dreary at best, it’s dark, activities are expensive. Well done to those who mange it, there are many many people who don’t have that luxury.

Because I'm TIRED.

What do you want from this thread?

You are clearly a superior being. Slow, stand up clap for you. 👏👏👏🥇🥇🥇

Someone once said, 'Exercise is for horses and dogs.' Sounds fair enough to me. If you like it, do it, but I feel no obligation to and there is no innate superiority in people who exercise. In any case, most of us move around as part of our daily lives: childcare, walking to work/shops, walking the dog etc. Treating exercise as and end in itself is basically a first-world, 21st-century privilege, not a virtue.

I would have to agree, l manage to exercise most days despite full time work, 2 under 2, studying etc. But we all have our blind spot and my diet really isn't great! So lm trying to take control of that but no promises. We are all work in progress 🤷‍♀️

I run marathons.

Couldn't give a stuff what anyone else does - it's up to them.

Feeling smug about your own lifestyle choices might can back to bite you on the bum.

4 miles 4 times a week? That's cute.

Personally, I like to hike up mount Everest every morning before breakfast, passing by all the lazy dead people who aren't as strong as me, ski all the way back down whilst solving world hunger, saving the pandas, and downing a kale smoothie. Then I deadlift my own bodyweight, step into a ring with a pro MMA fighter and swim the channel 6 times before putting the kids in the car and pushing it to the school.

I'm sure you're trying your best though xx

What do you want, a medal? I get up at 6 am so I can read a good book with my coffee for an hour or so before work. I love watching the runners / joggers in the park through my window when I lift my eyes from the book. I sometimes sit in a coffee shop and read/ write for an hour instead. ( Now who wants a medal?)
I wish more people read good books so they'd have something more interesting to talk about rather than the miles they've run or the weights they lift, but welll, it's not to be... To each his/ her own. I'll keep enjoying amazing books and coffee while you run ( which I hate, by the way - I'm still pretty fit as I walk and move quite a lot during the day, normal weight and generally happy with my appearance). Live and let die.

Why do you care if others do or don't have time to exercise? And more to the point how insecure are you that you see their inability to carve out time as annoyance or judgement on your time?

What a load of shit. I have 2 kids and work full time, working out and exercise is a part of my life and always has been. It doesn't occur to me to even wonder why "nobody else can fit it in" because I have a life.

Or maybe expand your mind and mentally walk a mile in their shoes. Maybe they want to spend the carved out time eating cake and watching Netflix. Or maybe they're a single parent. Or maybe their partner works all hours and they have no childcare. The list is endless...maybe you could spend the time thinking on this on your 40 minute runs 3-4 times a week?

I used to exercise four or five times a week. Now I have toddler twins. I never get a half an hour slot to do anything, let alone exercise. I'm desperate to exercise, but I've as much chance of that as a cocktail by a pool on any given day. What's the weather like up on your high horse, Love?

I'm curious as to what your job is OP. Mine is 8 hours of walking, stretching and lifting 5 days a week which is more than enough exercise for me ta very much.

It would mean dropping something I enjoy just to replace it with something I truly hate.

I'm glad you enjoy running though.

I'm just too lazy and would rather sleep in

agree - it's highly unlikely that is what they are thinking, if anything you sound far more judgey than them!

you are obviously lucky enough to live in an area where there is somewhere safe to go for a run on your own - many people, particularly women, don't have that option, particularly if they work all day so are only home when it's dark.

yes you can exercise at home, although again you need a) enough space to move, not easy if you're in a 2 bed flat with 1living/kitchen/dining room with kids stuff everywhere, and time when nobody else is using said room

or there's the gym, which costs money and turns your half an hour run into ten minute drive there and back, swipe in, get changed, shower, etc = at least an hour.

Well this thread went well for the OP.

I lead an active life @Hollyandivygoout.
A full-time job, to which I drive and leave at 7.30am, returning at 7.30pm ish, a large household, grown-up DC, pets, visitors, large garden.

I do about 5k steps a day, I am on the go from 6.30am until about 9pm. I do about 4-6 hours of heavy gardening when the weather allows and consider the weekly shop as a weightlifting challenge.

I'm 64, have a normal bmi, and severe osteoporosis (5 breaks in 5 years). A start my day with five minutes of gentle pilates to get my back moving. When I give up work I'll do more gentle pilates.

I don't exercise because I hate it. I find running for the sake of it a pointless exercise. I had to do sport and PE at school. I hated every single minute of it. The day I left school I vowed nobody else would ever again make me participate in enforced exercise. Never again would I suffer the ridicule of the alpha sporty girls because I was crap at sport.

.I hope that answers your question with sufficient detail.

YABVVVVVVVVU - it's is not your business to query or criticise what others do when there is no detriment to others involved.

"Look at me, I do exercise, I'm soooo much better than you" is what I'm getting from your post.

Well I don’t have time as I would prioritise being with my kids for those 40 mins the exercise would take place. No beef in saying this my point is people have different priorities.

I exercise a lot more than you OP (another running nut). The reason is that my DC are in their 20s and I don't need to be at home with them all the time. When they were little and I had a job with long hours and a DH who worked away I had literally no time to exercise - it was go to work, work through my lunch break with a sandwich so I could leave in time for childcare and then I couldn't leave the house (and usually had to do more work in the evening anyway) to go for a run. I'd get one in at the weekend if DH was around to look after the DC. Once they were older and could be left it got easier although running after dark is a luxury that only men really get so it didn't always work.

Perhaps you're not busy enough if you have time to worry about such trivial matters

Currently have a 4 month old, I’m desperate to get in shape but don’t get any time for myself as she is clingy AF and I have no support network. The 20 mins a time she will be put down I use for washing/peeing/making food.
Good for you that you can do it but what’s your point here? Not everyone is a lazy couch potato, and if I ever get a minute to myself would probably prioritise sleep anyway. Think your post make you sound like a judgy 🛎️ 🔚

Are you as smug and lacking in empathy is real life?

A lot of people will say they don't have time, and really what they mean is they do have time but they are choosing to prioritise other things with that time, such as chilling, watching TV, scrolling etc.

Another significant proportion of people who say that will not be able to go for a run 3 x a week since they have young DC who can't be left or children with disabilities requiring care.

I have just got back into running after the baby years and whilst I agree it's a great feeling, I have had years when I simply couldn't go as I was on my own with babies or young DC.

Stealth brag. Bet you wear your active wear all day too..