by Dana Moses

Created on: April 21, 2009

How often do we all hear about how we are supposed to be exercising? All American adults know by now that exercise is something that we all should be doing, but a pitiful number of us actually do it regularly. According to a recent Gallup poll where respondents evaluated their own exercise regimens (and likely therefore overstated their exercise frequency) only about 17% of American adults exercise as much as standard medical advice: 5 times a week at a moderate intensity or 3 times a week with 2 weight training sessions as well. Clearly, we are good at making excuses for avoiding exercise.

Lack of time is among the most common excuses for not exercising enough. Time is certainly a limited resource, with a fixed number of hours in every day, and Americans have less of it than ever before. As cities sprawl our commutes have gotten steadily longer, and as the economy tanks and unemployment soars our hours at work creep up too. Still, on average we watch more and more television, cook less and less for ourselves, and sleep less too if a typical American vowed to make time to exercise, he or she would be able to carve out 30 minutes or so most days to satisfy those standard medical recommendations.

Another common excuse we make for not exercising is that we're too tired. Depending on the study you read, we sleep on average somewhere between 6.5 and 7.5 hours every night, under the recommended amounts of 7 to 8 hours per night. Someone having to choose between setting the alarm half an hour earlier to fit in a workout and just using that extra half hour to catch up on sleep may well prefer to stay under the covers. However, regular exercisers report feeling energized after a workout, and exercise has been shown to lift mood and improve focus and concentration for hours after the activity. Even when tired, the typical American might be well served to carve out time for exercise.

A third common excuse to avoid exercise is that we're too embarrassed to do it we haven't been for a run in years, and we're afraid that heading out now would make a driver passing by think they need to stop and help us. Not to mention that we'd need to put on shorts, and the sports bra we bought in the late 80s, and show the world our flawed body. Gyms in particular can be intimidating to step into as an exercise neophyte, with hard-bodied fit freaks waiting their turn to use the elliptical. The way to get around this excuse is to embrace alternatives this is exactly why Curves was founded

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