The Real Reasons Why You’re Not Working Out (And How To Fix Them)
From a busy schedule to not seeing results, there are many reasons why people don’t exercise. If you don’t regularly exercise and are hoping to change course, here are some potential reasons on why you may not be exercising. You will also find advice on how you can make these issues a thing of the past.
Have you ever wondered, even though you really want to, why you don’t work out or eat well on a daily basis?
Well, here’s the deal.
When it comes to health and fitness in this world, there are three types of people.
The first just doesn’t care enough to ever learn anything that will work for the long term. They’ve never really made an effort to be healthy in their life, other than maybe the occasional battle with a trendy diet they saw on Dr. Phil, or an elliptical machine that was promised to be all they needed to roll Hollywood style. They have no hope, nor do they really care to.
The second has a chance at this whole living healthy thing. They’re athletic enough to be dangerous and know a decent enough to understand what they should be doing. They even get to the gym and play a few sports now and again. But they struggle with the motivation necessary to stick to it, and thus don’t achieve long-term results.
The third is addicted to health and fitness. It’s their life. These are your personal trainers, nutrition coaches, and meat/granola heads that absolutely cannot live without working out and eating well. Health and fitness is like going to the grocery for them. It’s just part of life.
What Group Are You In?
Me? I’m in the third group.
I’m a personal trainer and for 3 years now I have been helping people who don’t feel motivated to stay accountable and hit their fitness goals. So, I do believe if you’re on the first and second group (that's if you only work out once after a long while) here may be 6 reasons why you have not been working out, and each is accompanied with tips to help you fix them.
1. You Keep Quitting
You might start out strong and with the best intentions, but before you know it, you’ve lost your motivation. People quit exercising for many reasons but there are common reasons why you may skip, postpone, or entirely cancel your workout plans.
For instance, you may be taking on too much, too soon. If you go from no exercise at all to hitting the gym 7 days a week, you may be overtraining and you’re bound to feel burnt out. Instead, ease into a new routine.
Also, make sure you do your research and plan ahead. Find out more about the machines at the gym, so you can target your exercises to your goals. If you go in without a plan, you’re more likely to choose random exercises or complete them sporadically. Most gyms offer how-to tours of their facilities as well.
Boredom is another reason people quit. While some people love treadmills or stationary bikes, others find walking or pedaling to nowhere gets old fast. If you’re quickly getting bored with the exercises you’ve chosen, they may not be a good fit. Find something that holds your interest for the long haul or that offers enough variety to keep your workout from feeling stale.
Finally, when you’re just starting out, soreness is to be expected. However, you should still be able to function. If you’re so exhausted after your workout that you can’t lift your head off the pillow or you get an injury while exercising, you’re not likely to feel motivated to get back to it once you’re feeling better.
Tips to Keep From Quitting
- Work with a trainer: An experienced trainer can turn a lackluster workout into an effective and challenging routine.
- Change your workouts: Try different types of training to keep things interesting, such as circuit training, high-intensity interval training, and kettlebells. Be sure to balance strength with cardio workouts. This also helps you avoid plateaus.
- Avoid skipping: If you want to skip out on the gym, there’s probably a reason. Really think about what it is and if it’s something you really can overcome.
2. You Don’t Know How to Exercise
Being an exercise beginner can be overwhelming (and even intimidating). There are many different types of exercise you can try. Some will work for you and others might not. Figuring that out for yourself can be challenging. The good news is, there are plenty of resources out there to help.
If you’re part of a gym or fitness center, consider working with a personal trainer. If you’re working out at home or on a budget, try getting started with a free fitness program. Even online videos or apps can teach your want you need to know.
3. You’re Not Seeing Changes in Your Body
If you’re achieving your fitness goals as fast as you would like, the frustration might make you want to throw in the towel. Remember, though, you didn’t become de-conditioned overnight. Likewise, you can’t rebuild your strength overnight either.
Getting started is the first step toward reaching your fitness goals. Give your body time to react. It could take up to 12 weeks of exercise before you start seeing major changes.
Also, make sure you’ve set realistic fitness goals. In the meantime, stay focused on the benefits of physical activity, such as reducing stress and improving posture.
4. You’re Tired and Sore
Exercise can be uncomfortable, especially in the beginning when you’re trying to find your stride. Once your body adapts, it starts to get easier. Still, even those who have been exercising for a while experience some soreness after a hard workout.
If your workout is truly painful, you may need to try something else to avoid injury. If the soreness is just the result of your body getting used to moving more, try starting slower.
Start with a few days of moderate cardio like walking and basic strength workouts to build endurance and strength. You should be able to carry on a conversation if you’re working at a moderate intensity. Then, you can ease into strength training.
With weight training, an effort is needed to build lean body tissue. When you’re just starting out, any weight you lift is going to require effort. In the early days, focus more on maintaining good form. Then increase your weight once you’ve mastered the exercise.
If you have been working out for a while and find that you are more sore or exhausted than usual, take it as a sign your body needs an extra rest day to repair and recover. It is important to listen to your body and allow for rest when it’s needed. Pushing yourself beyond your limits could result in injury.
5. You Can’t Commit
When you only think about exercise in the long term (“I have to do this forever!”), it can be overwhelming. Keep in mind that you don’t have to change everything in your life all at once, and not all the changes you make have to happen overnight. If you’re having trouble sticking to your workout routine try to switch up your perspective.
First, start with small, attainable goals. It’s easier to stick with a workout when your goals start small. Try challenging yourself to walk an extra 10 minutes each day or get up early for a short yoga workout.
Also, ask yourself if a fitness routine is truly important to you or if you just want it to be. Making exercise a priority takes commitment, and commitment takes motivation. Figure out what your goals are but keep them realistic.
And finally, don’t focus strictly on weight management. If your only goal is weight loss, it can be hard to stick to a routine if you don’t see results right away. While you don’t want to lose sight of your long-term goals, try giving some of your attention and focus to the other benefits of exercise.
6. You Don’t Have Time
When you’re looking at your to-do list, it might feel like you just don’t have time to exercise. But exercise doesn’t need to take a lot of time to be effective. And, if you look more closely at how you spend your time, you might realize you’ve got more of it to carve out than you thought.
How to Prioritize Workouts
- Put your workout on your schedule. Keep a calendar of your workouts so you can track your progress and stay motivated.
- Break up your workouts. Just because you can’t find a 30-minute slot of time during your day for a workout doesn’t mean you can’t work out at all. Try breaking your activity up into 10- or 15-minute segments. Research has shown that split workouts are just as effective as continuous workouts.
- Add more movement to your day. Get up a few minutes early and take a brisk walk, use part of your lunch break for a stretch, or take the dog out for a romp after work. Even small changes, like parking at the far side of the lot or taking the stairs when possible, add up over time.
- Focus on the positives of exercise. Aside from feeling better, improving your fitness level, and reducing the risk of certain illnesses, exercising regularly will give you more energy and help you sleep better. After all, exercise generates energy, and the more energy you have, the more you’ll get done each day.
Often times a lot of people will rationalize not working out or eating nutritiously some of the time, because they look at people like those in group three and say “There’s no way I could do all of that. Why bother?”
Look at it this way. Even if you can only run a mile, or even if you only eat one healthy meal per day, you’re still doing infinitely better than that person who didn’t bother because they couldn’t take it all the way.
Maybe someday you’ll find the motivation to be a fitness junkie like the folks in group three, and hey, I will be happy to see you there, but for now… just get started with something.
You’ll be a lot better off than you were before.
