How to stay active when you hate exercise

Like eating more greens, we know exercise is good for our body and mind. What stands in the way of getting a healthy dose of movement? How can exercise loathers develop more fondness for physical activity? We take a look.

- LINDA MOON

More than half (55 per cent) of all Australian adults don't get the recommended amount of exercise for good health. While many societal factors come into play like sedentary work, commuting, juggling parenting and hyper-busy lifestyles - many of us would prefer to do something else than another task that feels like more work. And some of us - let's be honest - actively loathe the idea of donning lycra and heading for the gym.

What's clear is that we don't need another lecture about the importance of exercise (we know how good it is for us, right?!). Sadly, the pressures of trying to live up to our health standards and the feeling that we're failing have become a leading source of stress. Thirty-nine per cent of Australians in a survey by the Australian Psychological Society said trying to stay healthy caused them stress, making it the fourth leading cause of stress. Exercise has become loaded with guilt and failure and the ongoing pressure to add more to an already swamped to-do list.

What's really behind some people's dislike of exercise?

Is it true that we don't like fitness? If we dig down into the truth, often there's something more than meets the eye.

According to Angela Lee Jenkins, a qualified exercise physiologist and corporate wellbeing speaker and coach, for many it's busyness and the fact that exercise requires exertion and time.

"When we're overwhelmed, it's very overwhelming to fit all that in," Jenkins says. But exercise and movement don't have to be complicated, she says. It is about energising yourself, and it can be as simple as breathing and stretching.

Jenkins says that the individuality of our genetics, physiology and personality also means we're all different. "For some, exercise is a bigger part of their wellbeing. Others may need more social connection or meditation or to retreat inside and read a book."