Many people in the United States are not getting the recommended amount of physical activity. Studies show that even small amounts of physical activity can increase people’s health. So why is it so hard to move more?
There are individual reasons and barriers to getting more exercise or physical activity. Schedules tend to be busy, people may not know how to exercise correctly and be intimidated, or your motivation may slack when there are other things to do. What other barriers stand in your way?
There are also structural reasons why exercising may not easy for people – no gyms or affordable places to exercise in the neighborhood, poor infrastructure with no parks or playgrounds, no bike lanes, and other environmental factors can impact our ability to exercise. Read more here – https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2015/05/opportunities-abound-moving-around.
One way we can overcome our obstacles is by first understanding what they are, and then thinking of ways to overcome them. Comment below with ideas of how to increase your physical activity throughout the day that are realistic to your situation.
Here are some ideas to increasing your physical activity – listen here https://www.npr.org/2018/12/12/676129459/get-started-exercising. And some more ideas to make exercise into a habit, based on research – https://www.npr.org/2018/12/12/676142159/build-an-exercise-habit-that-sticks.
