I HAVE NO TIME!

June 05, 2018

In a typical developed country, 1 out 5 people run or jog.  That’s a lot of folks you may conclude!  The proportion of perfectly valid people who choose not to run remains a staggering number.  The majority (more than 50%) of able people do not run. 

Everyone has a reason to run or not to. Reasons why are plentiful in both camps but it is intriguing to study what is hiding behind the “non-runner”'s responses.  I recently conducted a (non-scientific) survey, asking 24 non-runners why they did not run.

Why are YOU not running/jogging?

Answers:

• My body is not made for running
• I am too old for that
• Running never felt right to me
• I am too quickly out of breath
• Running is too hard on my body
• My [add body parts] are shot
• …

And the most common answers:

• I have no time

The results are in line with a blog post written by Iusedtohaterunning.com.

In 2013, Fauja Singh finished a 10K race in Hong-Kong in 1H32.  He was 101 years old.  Beyond mechanical abilities, running is like any other decision, it must first be a committed thought.  Beyond the law of inertia covered in a previous blog, the very reason non-runners remain sedentary has not much to do with time, body curvatures or “being made for it”.  They have simply lacked the commitment to put their body in motion.  We all make decisions fundamentally based on self-preservation.  Can someone explain why one in three Americans are obese?  Since 1960, jobs requiring moderate physical activity dropped from 50 percent to 20 percent. The shift translates to about 120 to 140 fewer calories per day, matching the nation’s steady weight gain over the past 55+ years, according to the report, published in the journal PLoS One.

If our subconscious mind can clearly compute we are gaining weight and not feel better, why isn't there automatic mechanisms in place to get us healthier?

If the majority of people do not see this problem through, it is crystal clear to Active Lifestylers.  Once you make working-out a habit, it becomes a necessity, a part of you.  It creates automatic triggers to get out and do it, requiring zero mind power.  So, if you have a sedentary lifestyle, piling on the "Feel Good" activities and not getting healthier, know that a simple adjustment can become painless automatic decision-making.  No brain drain or permanent commitments needed. Trick your brain into health and the "I have no time" keystone argument will appear pretty weak...

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