Survey Reveals The Surprisingly Young Age Many Give Up On Working Out
by Ben Renner
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NEW YORK — Apparently, there are a lot of white towels on the other side of the hill. Six in ten Americans said at the beginning of 2019 that this would be the year they finally get in shape, according to a recently survey. Yet two in five respondents now admit they feel “too old” to get back in the gym. In fact, the survey of 2,000 adults found that on average, the age when most in the survey felt too old to work out regularly was just 41 years old.
But, age was just one of many obstacles listed by respondents. The most common barrier was “not having time,” with 42% citing their schedules as the main reason why they neglect their fitness.
Modern work pressures get in the way of fitness and health for many. The survey asked respondents about their most common excuses for skipping a workout. In response,
25% said they’ve used “stayed too late at work” as an excuse, while
36% said they usually just have too much work to do.
The most common excuse was being “too tired” to work out (56%).
According to the survey, conducted on behalf of the fitness app Freeletics, Americans will take advantage of any excuse to get out of a workout, including “the weather is too bad” (33%). Humorously, another 10% admitted to skipping a workout because the weather was too nice. An additional 23% said they’ve used eating too much as an excuse, and 15% actually used Netflix as an excuse to skip the gym.
Many of these excuses ultimately come down to convenience; only 29% of Americans consider working out to be convenient. Perhaps that isn’t so surprising considering the average survey respondent said they only have 89 minutes of free time each day. The average American already works out two times per week, but if it were more convenient and less expensive to get a workout in, that number would increase to five times per week.
The majority (69%) of respondents believe that a better exercise schedule would help them do away with their bad habits. But, how is that going to happen? When asked what would help them exercise more, the top responses from respondents were a home gym (45%), cheaper fitness alternatives to the gym (28%), fitness classes with friends or co-workers (28%), and a personal trainer to help with accountability (27%).
