To not exercise

[Katywester]

I was reading another thread about a woman who didn't enjoy showering and the questions asking her 'don't you exercise' surprised me as if it was a given that everyone exercised!
Am I the minority mum of three full time work etc that just can't fit in exercise other than a quick dog walk every other day?

But I’d be having a shower anyway so it’s really only adding 25 minutes to my day. I watch a YouTube video on my phone with headphones in so no loudness to wake the kids. I’m not saying it’s for everyone at all, and if I started Work at 5 am then I wouldn’t be doing it either!

Current routine is 2x 20min active commute to work most days. (Active job on feet most of time)
Parkrun Sat am
Long run Sun am
2x strength sessions (class mid-week and gym weekend)
I'm struggling with time/ energy for a 30min mid-week run. I'd like to fit one in for some speed work.

On 14.5k steps today with no additional exercise beyond commuting.

I started the running when the DCs were at the baby/ toddler stage because it was flexible, and did my first HM when they were young. It's harder now they're older in that I'm a decade older and there's more mum-taxiing in the evenings, but the flip side is that I don't have to worry about leaving them.

The positive is that I have teenagers who see fitness as a normal part of life and they'll go out for a couple of miles of running independently. They also see walking as normal functional transport.

Exercise is investing in your future mobility. Getting out of a chair or climbing the stairs and other things we take for granted now. Not bothering because of time is the same as not bothering with a pension. You live to regret it.

Alice Roberts describes exercising as fighting off decrepitude.

I don’t at the moment as I’m waiting for surgery. I’m hoping in the new year to go back to Pilates at home and I’ve just bought some yoga blocks to do some light yoga. Also planning on joining a gym for some support with weights. I need all the help I can get due to arthritis, hyper mobility and spine issues.

I don’t excercise and I have no interest in it either. 34, 1 child, work full time in a bank. Nothing to do with not having enough time etc I simply have no interest.

PE at school ruins sport and exercise for a lot of women I think. For me it was competitive, humiliating and hard.

Countries like TheNetherlands that build activity into every day life and Germany where there is an expectation that you are probably doing some form of exercise are getting it right. Building it naturally in to your day, not waiting for motivation but scheduling it so it just happens without fail probably makes it a lot easier.

Exercise doesn’t have to make you sweaty and exhausted every time, walking more, cycling part of commutes and doing five minute pockets of exercise all helps. Squats and lunges while waiting for the kettle to boil, running up and down the stairs until the microwave beeps, keeping some hand weights or resistance bands to use while you are watching tv all count.

I work full time but luckily in a hybrid role so try to fit my exercise in during the day as I have little to no motivation to go early in the morning or after work. This strategy has worked pretty well. I found a gym in walking distance and I attend lunchtime workout classes on the days I work from home. And I manage a pilates class too weekly. The workouts are only 30 minutes so enough time to squeeze in a quick shower as needed.

Dedication is what keeps most people exercising, not motivation, and people who are dedicated will find a way to fit exercise into their lives (if they are able). It doesn't have to be everyday, but anything is better than doing nothing.

I thought the exact same! I just started back at yoga but mostly I don't specifically "do exercise"

I used to be a runner, I showered a lot more then.

I don’t think it’s that unusual to not exercise while you’re in the throes of raising small kids. Especially if you’re working as it’s just hard to fit it all in.

ive always been generally active, had an active job, ran around with the kids, enjoyed walking etc. but taking part in actual exercise was very sporadic for me throughout my 20s and early 30s while my kids were young.

the last 5 years I have done a lot more. It started with c25k and I’m now at a point where I either run or do some form of exercise every day (not this week as I’m a bit inured and it’s killing me). But now I have the time to dedicate to it in a way I never have before. I’m not an early morning person and would never have been one of those people who got up and went to the gym or for a run at 5am (hats off to those who do) and so for years I didn’t really have the time to myself to do it.

I am enjoying being the fittest I’ve ever been at 40!!

Those activities count as exercise. (I'm far too exhausted to do them when I get home from work, though.)

I exercise because I enjoy my sport (I wouldn't do it otherwise). Sadly I'm way past the stage of getting better at it but at least I can slow down my decline in performance as I get older.

Walking is still exercise.

My creaking joints have put paid to the type of exercise I used to do, but I tend to walk now (briskly) and do yoga (when I'm not at risk of getting stuck in some awkward position).

Many people live such sedentary lifestyles day-to-day, which is when exercising is more important. Lots of jobs are desk-bound and people are reliant on cars than ever.

Yes it's hard to fit it in but for most people it is possible to exercise every day. They just choose not to.

Ok, there will be exceptions such as single parents who work 60+ hr weeks... but this isn't most people. In my experience, my friends who don't exercise don't exercise because they choose not to carve out the time and do other things instead.

I work full time in a demanding job and have two kids. I've exercised every day throughout and have done it through a combination of:

• getting up early and running before the rest of the house is up. Home by 7am to sort the kids for school; home by 9am on a Sunday long run to get on with our weekend

• the above didn't work so well when I was still breastfeeding, so at that stage I would run part of my commute; getting off the bus a few miles away from the office and running the rest

• cycling to/from work

• lunchtime runs - taking 45 mins for lunch is enough for a 5k and a shower

• running with the buggy when the kids were still very little; running alongside their bikes and scooters now they're older

• Caroline Girvans and Yoga with Adrienne at home on Youtube when DH is away and I can't get out

For me exercising has always been a priority so I've found ways to fit it in. It means being a bit more organised (especially with the run commuting) and getting up earlier than I'd like, but the benefits outweigh the negatives.

You’ve got it!!! 💯 I exercised yesterday 10:30-11PM after a full day of work, kid pick up, cooking dinner, tidy up. I sleep and feel so much better. My exercise was burpees, yoga, plank, weights. Slept like a baby

I work full time and have 1 DC but exercise is what keeps me sane! I go to classes 3x a week and generally run twice a week with a couple of long walks thrown in too. My DP pulls his weight around the house and with childcare so we both have time to exercise. I’m 52 and staying fit and strong so I can be around for as long as possible for DS10 is extremely important to me, so I find time. I have built friendships around my exercise and honestly love it. You need to find what you love and then it’s not a chore or something to squeeze in.

But if you’re walking The dog, up on your feet much of the day , doing chores, carrying bags doing a twice daily school run etc that’s a heck of a lot more exercise than most. I was the same 10 years ago, but a change to working from home in a sedentary job & not doing the school run, Suddenly, the need for exercise is more pressing.

I have a personal reason for doing it which started out as a chore to recover from an injury and now became my number one way of improving my MH. Never been so empowered, feeling strong, motivated and happy to be honest with you. It’s changed my life! I am riding those endorphins/dopamine and also gaining strength and mobility. I am a happier more resilient person who struggled with my MH all my life but since taking up exercise it’s changed my whole outlook

It’s my time to invest in my future self, escape real life too.

I didn’t feel this way when I started but it came over time through repetition

Personally hear me out from a science standpoint I don’t believe cleaning is exercise though, it’s movement.

Unless people are doing industrial cleans and lugging around heavy equipment it’s not going to improve your cardiovascular health or build muscle long term if that’s your goal. You will not see any noticeable improvement in your health once you reach a certain level, this is why when you exercise you have to increase the weight/load/time/speeds/distances to get fitter, as you get fitter you need to push more as they become easy

Your body is very adaptable and will improve quicker than you think but if you aren’t out of breath or having a raise in your HR, you are not exercising you are moving. Moving is also good for mobility. But it’s not the same thing as functional exercise. You won’t likely be doing more and more laundry and more housework over weeks or months, or walking further or faster with your dog, it’s often the same level.

I don’t work out every day but I do it with purpose and function and it’s not to be thin.

It’s to get up off the toilet when I am 80 and not fall over and get eaten by cats

I get up early or go after work. I don’t really watch much TV

I didn't, until I started doing a physically active job where I had no choice and everyone kept telling me how well I looked, how healthy I seemed. And I felt so much better in myself too.

Now I'm back to a 12 hours a day desk job and I grudgingly force myself to exercise at least a few times a week. Because I felt the benefits first hand, and because I want to stay fit and healthy into my old age and maintaining your muscular and skeletal strength is actually really, really important.

I exercise because I’ve seen relatives decline rapidly in their sixties due to a lack of movement. While you might be able to get away with doing nothing in your 40’s, you don’t have to be that old for your body to start struggling because you’ve spent years not using it and future-proofing it.

I don’t want to be trapped on a sofa in my sixties because my knees are gone and I’ve not protected my muscles and my joints.

I wanted to add I am not trying to be disparaging about mums who struggle to find time with housework as this was also me and it’s very normal. But if you aren’t getting your heart rate up into zone 2 or 3, you are walking or moving in a sedentary manner. You can tell by either your heart rate or breathing.

Humans are creatures of habits. If you do the same routine of same distance of school run routes, and same route same amount of time on a slow dog walk, same amount of cleaning each week you could possibly add in;

ankle weights or a weighted vest
walk a longer route
walk a faster pace
walk a steeper route
use the route to do couch 2 5k

There are other options available to add in small changes to what you are already doing

I started off walking but I got to the point where I couldn’t walk any faster to see the benefit, so I had to make changes to what I was doing. Same with weights. If I lift 3kg in a bicep curl for 6 months it will not be benefitting me anymore at the point it became too easy. I need to keep moving up to 4,5,6,7kg over time

I saw that OP and honestly people just like to make others feel bad for not being perfect. I'm sure their brains must understand that not everyone exercises every day, for a whole variety of reasons.

I would say though that people respond differently to exercise late in the day - I used to do an evening racing series and could simply not sleep after a race - I would just lie in bed twitching and overheating, nothing helped, even ice baths! I later found out this was classic cortisol spiking and unfortunately it takes me about 8 hours for me to get my cortisol levels down to baseline after hard exercise. These days, I don't do anything strenuous after mid-afternoon.

I didn't used to exercise except walking everywhere and walking the dogs until a few years ago when I was 37. I'm 39 now and run about 70-80km a week with some strength and conditioning too. For me it was the children getting older that gave me more time to concentrate on myself, not just actual time but head space too. I love running, like last Sunday the weather was gorgeous I had a few free hours so I went out and ran a half marathon. I love that my body can do that.

There is no denying that it takes time and planning(and dicipine too) though. Even if I do a quick run there is still changing, showering etc and it does add up. I ended up getting a treadmill to help me manage running around our lives so on days when time is shorter I can usually manage to squeeze in a treadmill run somewhere.

I saw the post you were referring too though and tbh I think that poster was just being a bit twatty rather than being amazed that some people don't exercise. Id be astonished if most people don't know a fair few people who don't exercise from one side of the year to the next.

That’s exactly right. Future proofing ourselves and enjoying the retirement, which is moving further and further away. Plus if your health collapses, your children will have extreme difficulty looking after you, compromising their potential in life and their prep for their retirement.