I’ve came up with a list of reasons why people quit exercising/working out. This post is strictly from personal experience from what people have told me and what I tell.
Once people find out I’m a personal trainer, they always say something like this:
“I used to workout all the time, but got busy.”
“I was losing a lot of weight.”
“I gained a lot of weight while working out.”
“I really want to start going to the gym, but I don’t know what to do.”
“How can I lose weight?”
These are just a few examples.
Reasons Why People Quit Workingout
If you feel like you fell into one of these reasons, no shame. This post is meant to get you motivated and to convince you to either start working out, keep working out, or get back to working out.
These are the top 3 reasons why people quit working out and exercising.
1. Conveniency
This is the biggest culprit in my opinion.
Convenience plays a big role in your lifetime adherence to physical fitness.
Driving to and from the gym. Especially after work, when you’re tired is just not something everyone wants to do.
But I’ll tell you this once you adjust, working out and exercising becomes part of your day.
And I get it, it is hard to find time throughout the day especially if you’re a very busy person.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t squeeze a 30-minute workout into your day.
This is what I tell my people who said they don’t have time to work out.
People who don’t think they have time:
I tell them to wake up 30 minutes earlier and do a quick HIIT workout. A HIIT workout doesn’t take long. It only requires a lot of effort.
Set a goal, even if it’s going to the gym 3 days out of the week. Heck, start with 1 workout session a week. Sooner or later you’ll see results, you’ll feel a lot better, which will create that motivation to workout.
People who don’t have gym membership:
I tell them you don’t have to go to the gym. Do HIIT workouts at home. Resistance Bands are cheap and in my opinion, resistance bands are one of the most versatile gym equipment to have.
You’ll be able to hit every single muscle group with a set of resistance bands.
I talk big when it comes to Tabata training. If you know me I’m all about science and research. Tabata training is one of the highly researched types of high-intensity interval training out there.
Check out this article I wrote about Tabata Training. Tabata training is quick and the health benefits are amazing.
2. Motivation
Motivation, in my opinion, is the biggest part of fitness. Without motivation, there’s no drive.
It’s hard to find motivation. Especially if we’re not seeing fitness results we desire. But we all have to start somewhere
This is what I tell people on how I personally motivate myself.
Smart Watches
My Smart watch is one of my greatest motivators. It tracks my calories, steps, and gives me awards!
Not only that, it also motivates me through their monthly awards system.
For example, this month January 2021, you get a reward if you close your stand, move, and exercise a ring 7 days in a row. This motivated me to go to the gym 7 days in a row!
If you don’t have a smart watch. Write down your goals, it’s scientifically proven that if we write down our goals we’re more likely to achieve it.
Family or Friend:
Use your friends and family. I would add pets in that list, but our furry pets are part of the family.
Ask your friends/family to join a gym together. Having a workout partner adds a lot of motivation.
Even if you’re just going for a walk/run/hike, invite a friend/family. It won’t even feel like a workout, it’ll just feel like hanging out.
Walk/run your furry family member, If you haven’t walked your dog in years, then this year is the year to do it!
One of my friends told me that it’s hard to walk their dog because they run everywhere. I told them to go check out one of those dog trainer leashes, they actually work.
3. Knowledge
What I mean by knowledge is knowing what to do at the gym or at home.
People always ask me, how can I lose weight?
What types of workouts should I do to get stronger legs?
I want to pass my fitness test for work, how can I run longer?
How do I get bigger biceps?
By having a workout plan you know exactly what to do and for how long which will make everything so much more convenient. Try using the FITT VP model to create your workout plan. I’ve created guides on how to properly write up your own plan, make sure you check them out.
Your workout plan should always depend on your goal. If you’re working for strength then you focus on higher intensity, If you’re working on endurance then you focus on more repetition.
If your main focus is to increase Aerobic/Endurance Cardio then you have to focus on creating workouts and exercises that will help reach your goal.
If you’re a beginner and getting barely starting your fitness journey then full-body workouts are best.
I always recommend HIIT especially for those who are beginning their fitness journey.
Here’s a great guide on how to create your own workout schedule, it also includes a weekly schedule layout that you can print out and use.
