WIN Wyoming

Thought Bullets
for
February 2005

Given all the benefits of being physically active, I’m often perplexed why so many people lead essentially sedentary lifestyles. My days are arranged around a time to be active (walking with my dog, hiking, water-skiing, cross-county skiing, etc.), so I’m on a one-person campaign to inspire others to join me in enjoyable daily physical activity. I’ve read the findings from many polls that asked people why they were not more active. Can you guess the most common response? If you guessed lack of time, you are correct. The cross-sectional survey for WIN the Rockies included a question asking participants their initial reaction to the term physical activity. Responses included: Who has the time? And, Who has the time! Yet, the time Americans dedicate to daily television watching indicates to me that lack of time may be the perceived hurdle to more active living, but other factors are at play. With my own personal insights, it was with great interest I read a recent MSNBC article on the reasons adults list for not being more active. The results come from an informal poll conducted on the website for the American Council on Exercise (ACE). A total of 1523 people responded to this question: What keeps you from going to the gym?

• Almost one in five of the respondents (19%) said they were too out of shape to work out at a gym. Say what? Isn’t the whole point of going to a gym to get fit? (Well, and then maybe to stay fit.) Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for ACE, says gym intimidation is a powerful barrier for many people, especially when a gym is filled with "hard bodies in spandex."
• One in ten of the respondents (11%) said they don’t go to the gym because other gym members are "too rude." Rude behavior included monopolizing gym equipment, talking loudly on cell phones, and not wiping off the equipment after using it.
• Almost half the respondents (46%) said they don’t go to the gym because it is too crowded. Over-crowding was the number one reason cited for not going to the gym more often.
• One in five (21%) of the website survey participants said they don’t go to the gym because they don’t know what they’re doing once they get there. In order to make a bigger profit, or even to survive, many gyms across the country have cut back on the number of instructors who walk the floor and help exercisers as needed. Many gyms offer instruction only with the use of personal trainers, and that service is cost prohibitive for many people.

For many people, gyms are a great way to stay physically active. For others, gyms are not the answer. Thank goodness there are so many choices on the path to physically active living! My favorite way to stay active is any option involving the great outdoors, but if the Wyoming wind is enough to keep you inside, consider all the options you have (water aerobics, yoga, dancing, team sports, etc.) Jacqueline Stenson, author of the MSNBC article, highlighted a list of strategies for staying active in 2005. The suggestions came from a panel of experts from ACE.

• Start slowly and gradually build on your routine. If you are currently inactive, this may mean walking five minutes a day, and then adding an additional minute each week (week two = walk six minutes each day, week three = walk seven minutes each day).
• Set realistic and specific goals. Don’t say "I’m going to be more active." Instead, try, "I’m going to walk for ten minutes after dinner."
• Schedule a time each day to be physically active. Honor this time like you would other appointments. If you can’t find large amounts of time, schedule in five or ten minute bouts of physical activity a few times each day.

Sources:

• Stenson, N. Excuses, excuses - ‘I’m too out of shape’ and other couch potato cop-outs, MSNBC, December 14, 2004.
• American Council on Exercise (ACE) website, ACE fitness poll, www.acefitness.org, accessed January 3, 2005.

Compiled by Betty Holmes, MS, RD, Senior University Extension Educator, University of Wyoming; bholmes@uwyo.edu

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