Why can’t people consistently exercise?

Like most professionals in my field, I spend a significant amount of time pondering this question. As with many of the most interesting questions in life, there is no simple answer. The cause is complex and multifactorial, but I’ll do my best to break it down.

The primary reason, I believe, most people cannot stick to an exercise routine is that they do not value exercise enough. By that, I mean they do not prioritize it in the grand hierarchy of life. In my opinion, exercise should be ranked as highly as food, water, shelter, and oxygen. When you view movement with that level of necessity, everything else becomes secondary. Going for happy hour with colleagues, spending time with friends and family, and dating, are social bonding activities that are absolutely imperative to our mental health. However, one can make the argument that regularly prioritized exercise facilitates showing up better for family, friends, and significant other. Of course, a child’s basketball game, or a long-awaited recital will occasionally take precedence. There will also be times when only one specific day works for everyone involved. These are exceptions to the rule, and they must remain exactly that: exceptions. Special circumstances should never be interpreted as a new standard; invoke them wisely.

But we all know we SHOULD exercise, eat healthier, don't drink alcohol, and don't smoke (anything, other than the competition)...so, why don't we? Why don't we prioritise exercise at the highest level? I think it's because people, generally, are incapable of extrapolating the benefits of exercise that far into the future. While the immediate benefits of exercise are numerous, and the list is long, it is almost impossible for people to imagine the health dividends decades into the future. It is just too abstract to imagine that far ahead, considering most people can't plan anything concrete ten weeks into the future, myself included. When you couple that with short attention spans, and the need for repeated, quick dopamine-seeking habits, it is nearly impossible for people to "bank for the future".

Further, exercise takes effort! It requires time and effort to commute, bring attire, change/shower, have a work out plan, and not all physical changes are immediately obvious. Which brings me to my next point, and it is that people don’t have a good work out program. From over 2 decades of observing people exercising in the gym, I’ve realized that most people have absolutely no clue what they’re trying to achieve. There is no specificity or goal when it comes to muscle building or cardiovascular health. There’s just “going to the gym”, and hoping they'll "get fit". The advent of social media has certainly improved the availability of good exercise information, but it also has increased the useless stuff exponentially! Without the help of a professional, it's difficult for the average person to tease out the good from the bad. This is why I often emphasize how transformative a good Kinesiologist/Personal Trainer could be for someone's fitness journey.

I came to these conclusions one day when I was walking from the parking lot to the gym. It wasn't a far walk at all, but it was an overall miserable day - was dark, wet, and windy. With the Christmas season approaching were understably gathering for food and drinks. I thought to myself, why would the average person choose the gym when there are all these barriers? They got cold rain smacking them in the face, and when they get to the gym they're cluelss. So ,they flounder about for an hour then leave. In a few weeks time, they see no results, so why don't they just sit home and eat a bunch of comfort food, or go to happy hour with their colleagues instead? Surely that's ACTUALLY easy and enjoyable. To top it all off, in order to get the most health benefits of exercise, one needs to actually exert enough effort so that it is DIFFICULT, and UNCOMFORTABLE! With all these barriers, I can see, very apparently, how someone would not hold themselves accountable to exercise.

I'm sure there are plenty of reasons I haven't mentioned, but ultimately, people have to be accountable to themselves. This requires an honest, and often uncomfortable conversation about one's priorities. Starting the internal dialogue can be incredibly difficult, but only then can people become better versions of themselves.

Yes, there are barriers. Yes, it is difficult. There are PLENTY of times when I wanted to skip a work out! In those moments, I always take a moment to remind myself why I MUST continue to train hard. I want to be able to play with my kids until THEY get tired. I want to remain independent if I get to live to 80 years old. I want to be around for my grandchildren, if I have any.

I would entertain that many, if not most, things worth doing in life are difficult. We're all human, and therefore imperfect. But the process doesn't have to be perfect, because lifelong journeys rarely are. After all, Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Let's get after it.