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.

While some people really don’t have the time, I think for most people it’s more the case that the are simply not choosing exercise as a priority - which is completely fine and valid if that’s there choice.

But I also think there are probably lots of people who would like to do more exercise but can’t see how to fit it into their lives.

I’ve been on various sides of this - times in my life that fitness was basically my no 1 priority, times I couldn’t exercise at all for health reasons and times I lacked the the motivation or headspace to make it a priority.

My best advice is to try to squeeze bits in your life where you can rather than feel you have to commit to regular hours at the gym.

When DC were younger i had a running buggy and would jog down the shops etc. When they were older I’d take them out on bikes or scooters and I would run alongside them.

If I am at home I wear gym leggings and t-shirt most days so I can squeeze in a bit of exercise during the day, even if it is just a 15min yoga video at lunchtime.

When I can I will get up 40mins earlier than I need to and do half an hour - if DH is at home I might go for a run or if not I’ll do a video in the living room.

There are definitely times when all that goes out of the window for months at a time and I’m doing zero. But I find when I am in the swing of it I will grab those little opportunities and it makes a huge difference.

Thank you so much for this reply ❤️

Now I work part-time I can exercise every day and walk every day. I've always loved exercise and am highly motivated to do it.

When I was working 15 -18 hours a day, do you think I was going to waste good sleeping time exercising?

Plenty of people also work two jobs - are they lazy and unmotivated too, OP?

People with young children can also have very disturbed sleep, plus lots of kiddie angst, so their body is already under stress. If you then add exercise, you add more (physical) stress, get more cortisol release, and that makes you less healthy - they'd be better off having a 30 minute nap.

It's easy for people to say 'just do 10 minutes' - but the fact is that 10 minutes of anything except HIIT will do nothing for your fitness and little for your strength, and when you've just finished working - especially physical work - HIIT is the last thing you feel like.

It's not about being 'busy and important', it's about being knackered.

I also exercise frequently now that I have time...now that I am not the single parent of very young children, with nobody to watch them and a teaching job that requires me to work all hours of the evening and weekend.
I can remember the stress of attempting a workout video to be constantly interrupted by 'mum', or crying if they were hurt etc.
If you have never had barriers that prevented you from having that time to yourself lucky you. There are many people who don't get chance to drink anything for themselves from the second their eyes open to when they close. Single parents, carers allowance sorts of reasons .

Don't kid yourself that you are superior to others.

Agree.

That's completely wrong, not exercising makes you more tired and have less energy.

Exactly what I was going to post- single working parent here! Newsflash OP - people have different lives! 🙈

I guess if you had a partner at home , you could take turns to do the evenings and do half an hour exercise at eg 7pm? Not saying you should, just that it might be a possibility....or some people get up at stupid o clock like 4 30am to exercise (but they probably go to bed really early!) I don't think I could function if I got up at that time.

Whilst this is true if you live a sedentary lifestyle, it's not a simple as that in the scenarios I described. These links explain this more:

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/20/health/exercise-when-tired-wellness/index.html
https://www.onepeloton.com/en-AU/blog/workouts-when-tired
https://www.nbcnews.com/better/lifestyle/5-times-when-you-shouldn-t-work-out-ncna1068281

Not everyone has the same available time/resources/motivation/ability. So people do different things. You do you, others will do what they do.

In the example that pp wrote, when it comes down to sleep vs exercise, sleep should be the priority.

It's a tricky one.Parents of young children are rarely just sat on their bums for the whole day. They're usually very active already by chasing little ones, doing housework, etc. Whilst it might not be exercise (in the sense of doing a workout) it's still being active.

Exercise does help boost energy and can reduce stress, but in that scenario when you will continue to stressed due to sleep deprivation and constantly on the go, then it could be more harmful.

YABU - good for you that you have the luxury of being able to fit that in.
I am a single parent with two young children, I already get up at 5:30 to get them washed and dressed and out the door by 6:30 to drop them off to my mother's before I get myself to work to start at 7:30. After work is the same but in reverse - by the time they've had their after school activities, dinner, bath and bed it's gone 8pm, at which point I wash up, do laundry, make packed lunches and get uniforms and bags packed for the next day.
At 9pm I'm exhausted, having not sat down for 15+hrs.
Could I get up at 5am and squeeze in 30 mins exercise at home? Maybe.
Would the benefit outweigh the cost in regards to my mental health and lack of sleep? No.

I agree for most people it's about priority but as this thread shows many really do not have the time. Anyone with young kids is housebound during the times you are available to run. There's also another time factor, people who get very tired from exercise. It exhausts me, its good mentally but physically I'm wrecked. So on a day I do vigorous exercise I'll probably not do much housework and need to sit down a lot. So the 40 min run will need an extra two hour rest time. I work PT but am on for feet and moving for 3 or 4 hours in the day, maybe it's different if I was sitting all day at work.

I am too busy to excercise. I have excercised reguarly in the past. But for the past few years I am too busy. My work and home schedule leaves me no time to excercise atm. Any free time i get is at times I am too tired to excercise. I am really annoyed about it tbh as I would like to but I am too busy. Like now. I could probably start doing sit ups in my living room but ai am too tired from work, its freezing still outside and I have a pile of washing to do still with pe kits for the morning and I havemt had dinner yet either

When my kids were younger I felt everyone was talking about how important it was to take some time for yourself, and how running is their way of relaxing. It might just have been in my circles but everyone was running, DH, his friends, my friends, colleagues etc. If i said i was taking some time to myself people would ask what exercise I was doing. Like it was some new bloody law that a mother can only leave her kids for a few hours if she is doing cardio. If I want to sit and eat a packet of crisps isn't that just as valid? My point is that for some people the only form of relaxation they accept is exercise and they are far too narrow minded to imagine that other people have different ways of relaxing. For me going to a cafe and reading my book alone for an hour does more for my well being than any exercise could.

I’ve listened to a few interviews with Jasmin Paris (the ultramarathon runner who first came to wider public attention for completing a record breaking ultra which included stops to breastfeed her baby).

She has a demanding job and two kids and competes in a sport which is pretty demanding of time. She talked about getting up at 3am, running for hours over the hills in the dark then getting home in time for fro breakfast and to take her children swimming. Obviously this is extreme and not something most people could or would do. But I do think about it when I feel like hitting the snooze but rather than get up and do a quick 30min run.

How are you getting into so many conversations where people are feeling the need to justify their lifestyle choices to you to the point you need to post a thread 🤔

What do you want,.....a medal ?

When I'm timed starved, i try to do more 'free' exercise, like always using stairs, not lifts, cycling to work, walking more, carrying stuff etc

I am in a physical job on in my feet 8 hours a day does that count.

This has we all have the same 24 hours in the day vibes…. You are being unreasonable to judge so much! I’ve always been active because it’s a big priority for me, can totally understand why others feel likes it’s yet another thing they have to fit in / can’t fit in!

OP, you are being VERY unreasonable! Different people, living different lives, living in different locations, with different commitments.

FYI I HATE running!!

You sound like you need a life OP. No one cares how much exercise you do, you're probably boring them to death telling them and they're just trying to shut you up. I bet you update your Facebook status to let people know you're going for a run 😂

It’s different lifestyles isn’t it? Different priorities. I do yoga and have an exercise bike that I use regularly but I probably get the most amount of exercise from working and walking outside (smallholiding). I’d hate to go to a gym or a run. I’d like to swim weekly but only if I could find a pool just for me, hate swimming around other people!

😂 me neither!!