Reason(s) why you started or want to start exercising?

[SportsAndExerciseMedicineDoc]

There seem to be a lot of threads on finding motivation to exercise.

For those who do exercise or those who want to exercise, what's the primary reason you either currently exercise or want to exercise regularly? Do you think regular exercise is more of a chore or a gift?

Weight training is the bee's knees!

Check out Caroline Girvan.

Life changing!!

Like many people I struggle to motivate myself to exercise and I find it hard work (I'm a little bit overweight).

But I always keep trying to, because it makes me feel better in my body and mind.

I never do as much as I feel I should, but I do some and it makes a positive difference in my life, the way I feel and maybe the way I look as well.

I took up running around 10 years ago after doing a race for life and realising I was not bad at it despite no training. It was such a good feeling getting fit. I hadn’t been overweight but it helped me tone up a lot. To me the main benefits are:

1. Exercise is good for my overall physical health
2. It also very much helps with mental health
3. I can eat more!!

Did you really think that? For everyone? Or are you being a bit sneery?

Because it's obviously not a normal part of the day for everyone. It's something that many people struggle with.

From gov.uk:

"In 2017/18, 25% of people aged 16 years and over in England were categorised as ‘physically inactive’ – that is, they did less than 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week"

An even higher percentage will be moving a small amount but certainly not daily.

Unless you physically can't exercise, being physically active and moving your body ought to be the default not an add on to sedentary life. It doesn't have to be going to the gym or formal exercise and not everyone has to be an athlete, but just building in more walking or physical activity to your day can make a big difference. I'd advise trying to change your mindset and lifestyle to make it a default, not an optional add on.

I finally like it. It has changed my body for the better. You need to change your diet to lose weight but exercise is a lot more motivating than just counting calories. It is rewarding and feeling strong is a great feeling. I used to get out of breath walking up the stairs at work and now I don’t.

I mainly do it so I am not going to get old and be at higher risk of being frail. Seeing older people around me now who never did anything to exercise and got obese (my family) actually worried me a lot. I don’t want to sound offensive because I am WELL AWARE not everyone has a choice due to disabilities, but if I can try do something to help myself I will, my mum is in her 60’s, has a stick, can barely walk, is obese and unfit and I just don’t want that to be my life if I can help it. I had this moment where I looked at her and thought ‘this is going to be me’. I was obese and unfit and didn’t think it’s important. When you are 20/30 and even 40 you don’t think it’s important but then, it can become too late?

@ringoffiire i know people struggle with it, I did too. Just seeing my mum just do nothing to help herself has not been a good experience. She isn’t disabled through a specific health condition, it’s through years of self neglect all piled up. You never think it’s going to happen to you when you are young

however gym culture is now really super popular amongst young people. I have daughters and them and all their friends are all very into gym culture.

Having not done it for 5 years I've started running again because I entered the London marathon ballot and the absolute gits went and gave me a place. Managed to defer to next year because of giving birth but now the fact that I'm going to have to run a marathon is becoming horrible real.

I don’t enjoy exercise, but I have found exercise that I don’t actively hate. I do it because I recognise it’s essential to my health. If new evidence emerged that the secret to a long and healthy life was sitting on thr sofa eating crisps, I wouldn’t miss exercise.

My mum is like yours too, but when she was 20 she used to go to regular exercise classes with friends. Exercise has always been popular with certain crowds of young people. I don't think it's any more so now than it's ever been. I also know quite a few young people who are overweight and rarely go outside.

On the whole, we have more of a problem now as a society with physical inactivity than we ever have.

I began exercising because I realized the profound impact it has on both my physical and mental well-being. Initially, it was about wanting to improve my physical health – to feel stronger, more energized, and to maintain a healthy weight. However, as I continued, I discovered that exercise is not just about the body; it's also a powerful tool for enhancing mental clarity, reducing stress, and boosting my mood.

Moreover, exercising provides a sense of accomplishment and empowerment. Setting and achieving fitness goals, no matter how small, instills a sense of pride and motivation to keep pushing myself further. It's like unlocking a new level of self-confidence with each workout.

Additionally, I found that exercise is a fantastic way to connect with others. Whether it's joining a sports team, attending group fitness classes, or simply going for a walk with a friend, exercising together fosters camaraderie and strengthens social bonds.

Ultimately, exercise has become an essential part of my lifestyle, not just because of its physical benefits, but because of the overall positive impact it has on my life.

Less people are walking around - my mum was physically fitter in youth as they didn’t have cars, my mum walked everywhere because she had to. Then she just stopped walking more and doing less and less. She would get taxis back from town in 90’s and 2000’s once she didn’t need a pushchair for us anymore

I don’t remember gym culture at all from the 90’s when I was growing up, it was just for lads and not so popular for women. I went to an all girls school and don’t recall a single one of us ever doing exercise outside of PE, but drinking and clubbing! my daughter and friends only go to the gym and don’t go out much otherwise, it’s a completely different culture from what I experienced. My gym is mostly full of people age late teens to early 20’s and is a mix of male and female but still mostly male. However daughter goes everywhere else by car, as do I so we are all more sedentary in our general lifestyles. I do say to my daughter that a couple of gym sessions doesn’t cancel out other poor choices and not walking around, she has a physical job but I think she would struggle like I did when I got an office job as it’s when I started gaining weight

I work in mostly a female environment, everyone is over 40 and there is only 1 person I work with who also goes to a gym or a class as we talk about it together. I know exercise got big in the 80’s but I don’t think it became as much of a habit for young females as it seems to be now - but children are becoming obese at alarming rates, they are being fed more processed foods and driven everywhere by car and playing video games so it probably is just a subsection of society and isn’t really mainstream

I do it because I know it is good for me. I don't enjoy it, but I have found I don't hate strength training. It makes me feel very tired. I don't get that high that many of you talk about. I have increased what I can lift which is pleasing and as my name suggests, I do have reasonable biceps now. I feel better/have more energy when I don't do it.

Following with interest as I desperately need to find some motivation

Diagnosis as I said on another thread. All these age related issues can be vastly improved with exercise and I had a million reasons (excuses) to put exercise last even though I was always fit until I broke bones seriously. Now no more excuses possible/time for excuses, so I forced myself to get started as a priority and it has worked. Lost several kilos over several weeks, gained more fitness than lost weight so now working on keeping the trend going.

Do it! Because, as @StephanieAllen says...

exercise is not just about the body; it's also a powerful tool for enhancing mental clarity, reducing stress, and boosting my mood.

If you are a beginner or unfit, consider starting off with Lucy Wyndham Read.

Heather Robertson, Rebecca Louise, Sydney Cummings and Popsugar Fitness have some good workouts for intermediates or if you feel ready to challenge yourself a bit more.

Growingannanas is excellent for more cardio-based workouts/HIIT - really well structured, and some include use of dumbbells.

Do consider weight training. It's by far the most rewarding type of expercise I have found - and your bones will thank you. All you need is a pair of dumbbells (2-5kg to start with) and Caroline Girvan. She is the very best.

I'm in my 40s but starting to think seriously about being older and what I want my old age to look like. Everything I read (and my own common sense) tell me that if I want to have a good quality of life as an older person I need to be building that into my life now (my mental image is the woman at the end of the JL Always a Woman advert 😂).

So I have started running, 3-5k 3x a week for cardiovascular health
Weights class once a week (would prefer twice) for strength, and planning to start daily kettle bell routine
Hot yoga or pilates twice a week for core strength, balance and flexibility
Taking the stairs rather than the escalator etc
Overhauled my diet and given up alcohol

I've done various diets and fitness kicks over the years and been quite yoyo about it- exercising and dieting to look good for an event, say- which has never really worked long term. I've found that having a really concrete, important and long term aim has really helped me stick to it and avoided that thing of missing a few days and thinking "fuck it". It's also helped me work towards a way of living that I can sustain forever rather than previous fad diets. God I sound insufferable 😂

I feel better if I exercise, and totally notice the difference if I don’t go running for a while. I think if you have a sedentary job you have to consciously build exercise into your day or you won’t do enough. I heard someone (maybe on the radio? Or maybe here on MN) say that exercise is like brushing your teeth, you wouldn’t brush your teeth only at the weekend and exercise should be every day too.

I have never set foot in a gym though! They’re building one in my local town so I may go there once it’s open. I keep hearing about how weight training is good for you, maybe I’ll give that a try.

Weights class once a week (would prefer twice) for strength,

I keep hearing about how weight training is good for you, maybe I’ll give that a try.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but do check out Caroline Girvan - free on YouTube

I want to be a person who enjoys exercise. Or at least someone who has the willpower and dedication to do it even if I don't enjoy it. But I'm not either. I fucking hate the feeling of being out of breath and physically struggling. I don't mind the gym or a steady walk but I hate to push myself to the point of feeling challenged which is obviously the whole point 😂

I love the idea of getting up and doing a park run on a Saturday morning. I feel like it would be a great start to the day. But in reality I hate running. That's the worst for me. It's just vile.

I don't mind yoga. There's also a 20 minute home workout I do on YouTube once in a blue moon.

I know I have to force myself if I want to stay healthy. I'm in my late thirties now, about two-three stone heavier than I want to be and incredibly unfit. I don't want to give up the things I enjoy in life like takeaways and the odd glass of wine but equally I know I can't keep putting shit into my body and not exercising and expect to be fit and well in later life.

Ugh. Life's not fair.

I see what you are saying, but remember that your daughter is a subsection too. It's great that she's into going to the gym - but (I'm guessing) you see young people through the lens of her life - she doesn't represent all young people.

I would say more young people that I meet don't exercise than do (I work with young people). And there was a gym/ exercise class culture in the 90's and 00's. I was at school during those years and had friends who were into it.

Really I just don't think it's really changed that much in terms of people's drive to exercise - I think people are eating more rubbish and modern life means that we don't have to move.

I think there are the same number of people taking the initiative to exercise on their own terms as there ever have been - but lifestyle factors outside of that have changed - like you say, more people having cars, etc - and more access to highly calorific foods.

They are the main things, rather than there being more or less gym/ exercise culture - I really think that's been pretty stable.

I decided to start exercising because I wanted to prioritize my health and overall well-being. Over time, I realized that staying active not only benefits my physical health but also has a positive impact on my mental and emotional state. Whether it's going for a run, hitting the gym, or practicing yoga, exercise has become a way for me to unwind, destress, and recharge. Additionally, I want to maintain my strength, flexibility, and endurance as I age, ensuring that I can continue to live an active and fulfilling life. Ultimately, exercising isn't just about achieving a certain physique—it's about feeling strong, energized, and empowered to tackle whatever life throws my way.

My dad was a marathon and fell runner, he first started taking me with him when I was about twelve, but I had seen him going out from an early age. To me I grew up thinking exercise was a normal part of life. I am now 47 and still running, I love the feeling it gives me and can't imagine stopping, although I do hate running in the cold!

As a kid I was walked everywhere, then when I started middle school walked to/ from school alone. It was a 30 min walk each way. We had bikes so played out a lot. So walking and cycling were just normal instead of being driven anywhere. As a young adult I walked or cycled, or, if too far would catch a bus. I didn't buy a car until I had to have one for work (cycling and or public transport weren't possible). Family holidays were always active - swimming, walking and cycling. So exercise and active travel has always just been normal.

I got really into cycling, joined a club, started racing. That was 15 years ago. I've never looked back and just built and increased fitness each year. I was able to cycle through my pregnancy. My son (now 7) always came on my cycling adventures (trailer). Or I'd run and he balance biked, then cycled as he got older. He walks or cycles everywhere. Active travel is normal for him. As a family our leisure time and holidays are spent walking and cycling.

Now I'm mid-40's I can completely see the physical and mental health benefits when I compare myself with women of similar ages. It's quite stark. I've never done it for health! I'm not on medication, I'm a healthy weight, no health issues. Since becoming a mum, exercise has been a bit of a saviour - it's time out, time for me etc.