Five reasons people give up exercising - and how to avoid them

Monday, 12 March 2012 2:11 PM

Getting motivated to start exercising is not too difficult. An unflattering photo could be all you need to spur you on to get fit. Perhaps you’ve booked your summer holiday and the prospect of donning a bikini on the beach is enough to make you get down the gym.

There are also certain times of year that get us in the mood to get fit. After the excess of Christmas and New Year, January sees most of us hitting the gym with full force. Spring can also be a great motivation when it comes to getting fit. The lighter nights and warmer days remind us summer is on the way and make us more determined to look good for it.

But despite our reasons for making the effort to start exercising, unfortunately there are several factors, which can case our motivation to wane. Here we look at five of the biggest reasons for giving up exercising and ways in which you can avoid their trap.

Your friends quit
If you’re exercise regime involves your friends there’s a risk your motivation is heavily reliant on theirs. If you go the gym together with your BFF and then she decides to give it a miss, chances are you’ll do the same. It’s perfectly fine to exercise with a pal but make sure you also feel confident and comfortable enough to go alone too. That way working out with her will be a bonus, rather than a necessity.

You don’t see results
Nothing de-motivates you more than working really hard and then seeing no results. However, it’s important to remember our bodies are all different. While the weight may fall off one person in a week, for the next it could take a month before the results start showing. But they WILL start showing so don’t get disheartened and give up.

You can’t afford it
Giving up the gym because you genuinely can’t afford the membership is a completely legitimate reason. However, it should not be the reason you give up exercising all together. Find a pay as you go gym instead or, better still, just head down to your local park for a run. There are ways of exercising for free, remember.

You don’t have the time
In today’s busy world finding the time to exercise can be tough. But if you’re determined to get fit then you need to work exercising into your schedule somehow. Try getting up an hour earlier or use your lunch break to fit in a quick jog.

You get bored
Slogging away in the gym can be boring, let’s face it, and boring exercises are much easier to give up! Try doing a sport or joining a class instead. If you enjoy your workout you’re more likely to keep it up.

Four reasons people quit exercise

Experts have told us many times that the most effective way of losing weight and keeping it off is to combine a healthy, balanced diet with regular exercise. However, while many people find it relatively easy to include healthy foods in their diet lots of people struggle to introduce exercise into their daily routine.

What type of work out suits you?

Did you know that one of the main reasons people give up their exercise regime is because they’re doing the wrong type of exercise for them? While exercise may not be top of the list of fun things to do for many people, if you’re not enjoying your exercise routine even a little bit then there’s much more chance you’ll quit.