Common Barriers to Exercise and Strategies for Overcoming Them

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Kara I. Gallagher, Ph.D., FACSM
www.MohrResults.com

Have you struggled with your exercise program? You're not alone. In a study of individuals beginning a weight loss program, nearly 98% of participants knew the benefits of exercise (lose weight, improve health, greater energy, etc). However, almost 80% of participants reported a major reason for not exercising was lack of motivation. The other reasons topping the charts were lack of time (62%) and too tired (54%). It's time to knock down these barriers and examine some effective ways to make exercise happen.

Lack of Motivation
Too often we wait to become motivated to exercise and lose weight. Even worse, we don't plan for periods when motivation wanes and continue to persevere toward our goals.

• Pick a short-term goal either in terms of minutes per day each week or register for an upcoming 5K walk. Having a reason to exercise and/or a goal to work toward will help motivate you on days where you might not feel like exercising.
• Try a new activity. Learning a sport or skill may be the incentive you need to get out the door.
• Keep exercise reminders in sight. Place your exercise shoes/clothing, etc in a visible spot in the office or house as a reminder to be active each day.
• Schedule exercise dates with friends so that not only are you accountable to the activity, you are also responsible to the other person.

Lack of Time
No one can find time to exercise; you have to make time. You are given 24 hours each day to decide how you spend your time. Examine your day. Is every minute fully scheduled? Do you watch television or surf the Internet at all? Ask yourself if those activities are adding to the quality of your life or are they time-stealers. For the really time-pressed, re-arrange your schedule using the following strategies to fit exercise in.

• Divide exercise into shorter bouts of at least 10 minutes in duration and spread these throughout the day.
• Eliminate watching one 1/2 hour sitcom 5 days a week and go for a walk on those nights instead.
• Exercise first thing in the morning before other things take priority and the day has gotten away from you.
• Double up on exercise and other activities: exercise while dinner is cooking on the stove or while the clothes are in the dryer, have a "walking" business meeting with coworkers, exercise during your lunch hour and instead eat your lunch at your desk.
• Plan ahead during the week to determine which days are more open for time to exercise, and which days might require more creative thinking. Then, schedule exercise into your appointment book.

Too Tired
Exercise doesn't have to be an exhaustive 2 hour bout at the gym. Start small and work toward adding additional time gradually, rather than starting your exercise program by training for a marathon. Avoid exercise at your lowest energy times during the day.

• Exercise first thing in the morning, before the day tires you out. In addition, the added boost of energy you'll get from exercising will provide you with a great start to your day.
• Break exercise into smaller bouts. Tell yourself that you'll only exercise for 10 minutes and re-evaluate how you feel. If you are still tired, stop exercising; if you feel good, try a go a little longer.
• Attempt to go to bed a little earlier each night. Even 15 additional minutes can leave you feeling more refreshed.
• Limit the amount of caffeine and high sugar foods you consume throughout the day. While these might provide you with short-term energy boosts, they can leave you feeling drained and exhausted and can lead to poor sleep at night, creating a vicious cycle.

Barriers exist when we allow them to exist. Don't settle for allowing these common barriers, excuses and rationalizations to keep you from living a healthier, more energetic lifestyle. Take action today!

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