Excuses, excuses

Jacqueline Stenson MSNBC contributor

Despite the many benefits of exercise, statistics show that two-thirds of American adults are not physically active on a regular basis and a quarter get virtually no exercise at all. Why?

The most common reason cited is a lack of time, fitness experts say. Schedules are overbooked and things like exercise often aren't a high priority.

That's not too surprising, but a new survey by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), a nonprofit group based in San Diego, offers some additional and perhaps unexpected insights on our coach-potato culture. In October, the group asked visitors to its Web site about what, besides lack of time, stands in their way of going to the gym. More than 1,500 people responded to the informal poll, offering some interesting excuses for not exercising.

Gym intimidation
For instance, 19 percent of respondents said they're too out of shape to work out — they're afraid they'll be the only one at the gym who isn't buff.

People who aren't fit often think they've got to get themselves in "respectable shape" before they ever go to the gym, says Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist at ACE.

Of course, the whole point of going to a health club is to get in shape. But "gym intimidation" can be a powerful barrier, Bryant and other experts say, especially when a club is filled with hard bodies in Spandex.

Besides not looking the part, plenty of people — 21 percent — skip the gym because they don't know what to do once they get there, and 3 percent said they avoid the gym because they're afraid to ask questions, according to the survey.

Bryant says proper fitness guidance can be an issue because gyms have cut back on the number of instructors who walk the floor and help out exercisers in need. Clubs may provide an orientation session to new members, but additional instruction is often only available by paying a personal trainer for it, he says.

Another 46 percent of survey respondents said gyms are just too crowded, and 11 percent said people who go to them are too rude. Gym etiquette dictates wiping down cardio equipment after use, not monopolizing weight machines and avoiding long cell-phone chats, among other courtesies.

Where to begin?
But gyms aren't the only place to exercise, and some of these concerns could be avoided by working out at home, a no-frills recreation center or outside. (People can also search around for health clubs that better meet their needs.)

Regardless of the setting, it can be overwhelming for sedentary people trying to take that first fitness step, says Karyn Gallivan, an athletic trainer at the Tennessee State University Wellness Center and a spokesperson for the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Many people say they don't have the time, she says, and if they do, they don't know where or how to begin.

"They feel that they are so far out of shape that it's too big of a job to get started," Gallivan says. And for those who do get started, sticking with an exercise plan is another major challenge.

This New Year's, many Americans will likely resolve to get fit. But undoubtedly plenty of them will throw in the towel well before swimsuit season. Research shows that more than half of people who begin exercising drop their program within three to six months, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

MORE FROM SMART FITNESS

Smart Fitness Section Front

This holiday, take your diet advice and stuff it Can working out wear you out? Get fit, faster, with short-burst training Can exercise get rid of this dude’s ‘moobs’? Find the right workout machine for you Pump up the volume, pump up your workout With parkour, the whole world's a playground Capri pants bare scourge of summer: ‘cankles’ ‘Phantom fat’ can linger after weight loss Exercise not likely to rev up your metabolism Smart Fitness Section Front   Add Smart Fitness headlines to your news reader: