This post discusses the barriers to fitness we most often see keeping people out of exercise. We exist as more than physical beings, and our social and emotional health is key to keeping active and getting fit.

Learning to exercise is more than just having a gym membership.

We have the ability to run, lift, jump and build our bodies in ways that suit our everyday life. At the same time, we can observe, emulate, judge, challenge and hide at the nearest sight of other people.

Life is about living an innately individual experience in various social systems. We develop preferences and opinions based on and in opposition to various norms and standard. People tell us what to do and we do what we decide.

All of this comes into play with fitness.

Fitness Beyond Access to Weights

The first question we always ask when determining if we can exercise is whether we are physically able to. Do we have the resources? Do we have time? Is there space? Can our bodies actually complete the workout/movement?

It’s easy to see why.

Working out is an intensely physical thing. We are using our bodies to conduct movement and build on our future abilities to control ourselves. Fitness is about the body.

It is. However, there’s more to it.

As previously mentioned, we exist in a world full of other people. These people have thoughts, feelings, and skills, all of which interact with our own perceptions, feelings, and sense of self. Simply put, other people influence how we think, act, and train (we see this both in the context of gym training and our development of biases).

Note: I will not even begin to discuss nutrition, as that is not my area of knowledge and there’s a lot of tension whenever it comes into play. I ask you to use your good judgment and eat foods that make you feel better.

Fitness Involves Emotional, Social, AND Physical Well-Being

If fitness were solely about having workouts available, we would all be fit by now. There are new workouts everywhere. YouTube has millions of videos (example account HERE), Apple puts experts right into your phone with Apple Fitness, and Google loads about a bajillion search results for local gyms, online instructors, and videos on any type of exercise you may choose (not to mention all the products it suggests).

Why is it then that we aren’t all fit?

First of all, fitness is hard. Its demanding to push yourself to do more, and we may not want to make the effort to work out (especially if we have a negative bias against fitness for some reason).

Beyond the physical demands associated with exercising and becoming fit, fitness is heavily tied to our perception of self and interactions with others. Our overall well-being has a major impact on our pursuit of fitness, and we will discuss this more below, beginning with emotional barriers to fitness.

Emotional Barriers to Fitness

How we view ourselves has a major impact on how we treat our bodies.

We for some reason exist, and this existence alone is a lot to consider. While we’re here, we have infinite different paths we can take. We watch as our friends, family members, and enemies progress, all the while trying to figure out where we want to go. Everything around us impacts how we feel, and, as a result, how we perform.

Stressors, challenges, moods, and new information can impact how we view ourselves and the world around us. When we feel down, tired, stressed, or confused, it can be hard to motivate ourselves to get up and go to the gym. We may not see the value or need to exercise, and get distracted by the factors that cause us to think and respond.

It’s easy to disregard the emotional barriers to fitness because of the innate disconnect between physical and emotional sensations. It’s almost a laughable concept in fitness communities to say that feeling sad made you stop working out because people so often use the gym to get out their frustration (insert dumped by girlfriend, got jacked trope here).

Your emotional health is an important consideration for fitness (as well as overall well-being), and you should guard it with all costs in your pursuit of a healthier self.

Social Barriers to Fitness

Along with our own feelings about ourselves, our interactions with others and perceptions of others’ feelings about ourselves majorly impact our access to fitness. These interactions can help us live healthy lives, but they can also lead us to unsustainable practices or scare us away from fitness altogether.

First off, what does it mean to be fit?

Fitness is a relative concept that naturally causes us to compare ourselves to others. Fitness is determined by our ability to do various physical tasks and how these abilities compare to others. We can feel fit compared to some friends, only to lose the confidence entirely when we enter a new group. There aren’t really clear guidelines on what it means to be fit.

Without guidelines, we push and pull with others in order to classify ourselves. Johnny can bench press more than me, but I can run faster so I rank myself higher. Jimmy can swim faster but I squat more. The comparisons can go on forever and be as arbitrary as we can construct them.

This game of tension and classification often results in negative perceptions of others to bolster our own images. When we view ourselves as much more fit as others, we tend to look negatively upon them. When people view themselves as much less fit, they may be scared to pursue fitness at all. Worse still, they may rationalize fitness as a non-essential vanity project, abstaining from anything related to fitness to ensure they don’t perpetuate this vanity (possibly subconsciously recognizing their distance from achieving the societal goal of “fitness” and making it harder for them to build a healthy life).

All this to say that our social experiences can influence our fitness decisions

Physical Barriers to Fitness

It’s hard to work out when you don’t have the time, space, and/or resources to do it.

In recent years, we’ve noticed a resurgence in bodyweight fitness and minimalist workouts (look at the millions of followers of r/bodyweightfitness on Reddit and all of the bodyweight workouts and competitions online). However, these workouts can be difficult for novice fitness practitioners, potentially scaring them away from workouts. There are countless progressions available, but they can get confusing and be hard to track, especially if you don’t enjoy working out.

While work can be busy and we all have our own needs, it is common to construct our own physical barriers to fitness because we fear it or do not enjoy exercise. Fitness is an intimidating concept, and it’s hard to pick up a challenge after long days of work.

I believe that anyone can get into fitness in a way to improve their physical well-being. In my opinion, the most important thing to do is to make information more accessible and welcoming so people can pop in and train when they are able.

Getting Fit

Fitness comes when we gradually but consistently approach it.

No matter where you start, each movement is an opportunity to improve. With the wealth of resources we have available online, we can find workouts that fit any schedule, any skill level, and most any interest. The key is to try something new and get going.

I find that the use of Micro Assessments, or brief moments designed to reflect on a given body part and its ability to move, allow me to build exercises into my day. These quick, focused techniques help me mix in dozens of miniature workouts and training sessions into my full-time office job. It’s all about learning how the body works and understanding movement.

For more guidance, check out my section on Working Out or message me! My goal is to make the best resource to lower the barrier to healthy everyday lives. If I can help, it’s my pleasure.

Helping Others Get Fit

Fitness is as much about our interactions with others as it is about our own level of exercise. We live surrounded by people, all of whom may need help or be able to help us when we are in need.

It’s important we help others progress so that we can keep building up. As we exist in this world full of others, we benefit from them being able to do more. Here are some ways to do it.

Project Positivity

When people feel good, they tend to be able to do more. Help them by being a positive influence in their lives.

You don’t need to be Ted Lasso to be a good guy, but you can certainly help and influence others by serving as a positive presence. Be kind, compliment people, and take the time to help. It won’t cost you much, and it can be the difference that chances someone’s future.

Make Them Feel Welcome

Just as projecting positivity can help people grow, introducing a sense of welcomeness can make it easier for people to pursue fitness.

People often avoid things where they don’t feel welcome. Even if an explicit action didn’t occur to make someone feel unwelcome, the innate sense of feeling or looking different can be enough for people to feel unwelcome and, resultingly, avoid fitness.

Help the new people out! If someone seems nervous, a simple smile or hello can do wonders. Invite them to join you if you think its in their best interest and you can do so. Just don’t be a jerk about it.

Avoid Unsolicited Advice

There’s a big difference between being offering to help and getting into someone’s business. We tend to be prideful people, and unsolicited advice, especially when the recipient was tense about the subject, can offend and derail progress.

It’s great to be knowledgeable. It’s more helpful still to be willing to help people with your superior knowledge. Just be sure you do so in a way that helps rather than isolates.

Conclusion

Fitness is more than a game of lift things up and put them down. We each have a perception of ourselves and how we interact with the world, and it’s important to consider this reality and how it impacts fitness.

At the end of the day, we want happy and healthy lives. Recognize that what you do impacts those around you, and seek to be someone who makes things better for the people nearby. Oh, and be sure to keep on moving while you can!

Questions? Comments? Thoughts? Let me know!

-G

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