There are many reasons why people don't exercise, such as a busy schedule or not seeing results. In fact, more than 60% of American adults don't get the recommended amount of physical activity and more than 25% of adults are not active at all.

It is important to get and stay motivated to work out because the benefits are numerous. If you don't regularly exercise and are hoping to change course, here are some potential reasons you may not be exercising. You also will find advice on how you can make these issues a thing of the past.

Breaking down barriers to exercise

The first thing we need to do is acknowledge everyone’s personal situation. If you are reading this and believe willpower is enough, consider the differences between the following patients from the paper Privileging the Privileged:

A professional with a high income who lives in a suburb with trees and a partner who stays at home, and who has easy access to a gym with good equipment and enjoys being active after sitting at work for most of the day.

A single parent acts as both mother and father to their young children while working three jobs to make ends meet. They live in a small studio in a dangerous neighbourhood and have limited time and energy to dedicate to exercise after working all day and taking care of the house and children.

How would you design an exercise routine and lifestyle habits to support regular physical activity for the second individual?

Discipline is not the only requirement for exercise.

Resources matter.

Many people assume that resources like safe sidewalks are a given, but this is not the case. I developed strong relationships with my patients and learned about their circumstances, which showed me that safe neighborhoods are not something that everyone has access to.

We all have the same amount of time in a day, but some of us have less time to ourselves because we have to work more or commute for longer. I didn't realize how much time I wasted until I had a full-time job and two kids. I'm lucky that I have a steady job that doesn't require me to work more than 40 hours a week or commute for a long time.

It’s a structural problem. I can easily find time to work out in my schedule. My decision is between exercise and reading a book. For others, it may be between exercise and spending time with their kids or taking on another work shift to pay the rent. Not exercising regularly isn’t a simple matter of discipline. It’s a structural problem.

For those reading those who struggle with exercising regularly, which of the aforementioned barriers apply to you? Let’s review them and identify specific strategies that may be able to address (at least partially) each one:

• Characteristics of the exercise program — Individualize the program based on your likes. Walking is a great form of exercise, for example. Don’t do something that brings no joy or fulfillment.
• Involvement of professionals from different disciplines — seek multiple sources of information not a single magic bullet program or the advice of a single healthcare provider.
• Supervision — If you are uncomfortable with exercise, fear injury, or don’t know how to start, seek out a friend or family member with some experience to exercise with. If you have the financial resources, hire a trainer, even if for a short period to become comfortable.
• Technology — There are many programs available online that provide guidance. You can do group fitness classes at home too. There is no “best” program. You can get in shape and improve your health with nearly anything on the market.
• Initial exploration of participant’s characteristics, barriers, and facilitators — always create a personalized approach and be honest about your barriers. Ignore the one-size-fits-all approaches. You also need less time than you think to see benefits from exercise. The exercise snack approach (one set of bodyweight exercise every hour throughout the day) is great for strength.
• Participants' education, adequate expectations and knowledge about risks and benefits — There are many free resources available to learn more about exercise, just make sure it is a credible source.
• Enjoyment and absence of unpleasant experiences — Experience will be one of the best teachers as you learn how much and what types of exercise fit your life and are meaningful to you. For me, that has shifted to calisthenics and strongman lifts.
• Integration in daily living — Fit your exercise habits to your schedule. Ignore the people who say you have to exercise at a specific time or place. Perhaps you use exercise snacks or only perform long routines on the weekend, opting to focus on being more active during the week (e.g., taking the stairs and walking more).
• Social support and relatedness — Find people to exercise with or at least share your exercise goals and experiences. Support can occur outside of the exercise routines. Accountability partners are strong motivators for behavior change.
• Communication and feedback — Don’t only share your successes and struggles with exercise, listen to the stories of others and provide your perspective. Teaching others is one of the best methods for personal learning.
• Available progress information and monitoring — Track your exercise. Write down how many reps you did, the total time of exercise, the number of exercise snacks, or the personal record weight you lifted. You will be amazed at the progress when you look back after a few weeks or months.
• Self-efficacy and competence — Along with writing down numbers, track the type of exercise you do. If you have a camera, record your exercises so you can see how your movement quality and effort change. See the variety of exercises you can do that you couldn’t do previously (e.g., types of pushups)
• Participant’s active role — If you hire a trainer or work with a healthcare provider to develop an exercise plan, don’t be a passive participant. Share your goals, barriers, and facilitators. Give your thoughts on all the details of the routine to personalize it. No one knows you better than you.
• Goal setting — Set a variety of goals. Set goals that are easy to achieve and stretch goals. Set short-term and long-term goals. Share your goals with an accountability partner.

It's hard to stick to an exercise routine. Every stage of life has its own set of obstacles to overcome. I can only speak from my own perspective. Talk to other people to get ideas for ways to deal with the obstacles you're facing.

Starting small and focusing on physical activity, rather than formal exercise, may be the best approach for you.

You Don't Enjoy Exercise

Getting into shape may be tough at the beginning, but it will get easier as you keep at it. Your body will become stronger the more you work out, and once you find an exercise routine that you like, you might start to actually enjoy working out.

Don't feel like you need to commit to the first form of exercise you try. Instead, explore different options for getting fit.

For example, if you like working out with other people, most gyms offer a variety of options. You can find classes like spin, kickboxing, circuit training, and weightlifting, to name a few. If you prefer to work out at home, you can join an at-home fitness group like Peloton. This way you can take group fitness classes without having to leave your house.

Fitness video games can help to make working out more fun, especially for kids. Try incorporating some VR or video games into your workout routine. Research has shown that these types of games can help people to remain physically active and improve their overall health.

Like having a personal trainer, downloading fitness apps on your smartphone or tablet can give you workout ideas, progress tracking, and motivation. Some apps even let you connect and compete with other fitness enthusiasts.

Eventually, realize that you do not need to go to the gym to have an excellent workout. You can use your own equipment, for example hand weights, in your living room.

Even doing your regular chores can help burn calories. To make them more challenging and increase the benefit, try doing things like raking small piles of leaves instead of large ones, so you need to squat down to gather them more often.

You Keep Quitting

People may skip, postpone, or entirely cancel their workout plans for many reasons, but there are some common reasons why people lose their motivation to exercise.

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. Try easing into a new routine instead.

You should also research and plan ahead before going to the gym. This way, you can learn more about the machines and target your exercises to your goals. If you just go in without a plan, you'll probably end up doing random exercises or not completing them regularly. Most gyms offer tours of their facilities so you can learn more about what they offer.

Boredom is another reason people quit working out. Some people love treadmills or stationary bikes, while others find these exercises boring. If you are bored with your current exercises, they may not be a good fit for you. Find something that you are interested in and that offers enough variety to keep your workout from feeling stale.

Soreness is expected when you are just starting out. However, you should still have energy to do other things. If your workout is so intense that you are exhausted afterwards and/or you get injured, you will likely not want to do it again once you feel better.