People Start to Feel Too Old to Work Out at this Age

SWNYFIT by Tyler Schmall
New York office - 646-873-7565 / usnews@swns.com

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Six in ten Americans say 2019 is their year to get in shape, according to new research.

But many barriers may prevent this, it turns out, as over two in five Americans feel “too old” to work out, with 41 officially being the age Americans feel too old to exercise.

The new survey, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of fitness app creator Freeletics, aimed to discover the biggest barriers Americans face when it comes to health and exercise.

Age, it turns out, is only one of multiple barriers to exercise Americans face, according to the study, but “not having time” took home the first-place crown with 42 percent saying that time is the biggest reason they fail to work out.
So with everyone becoming so busy, are modern work pressures also getting in the way of a fit and healthy life? According to the results, the answer is yes.

When asked about excuses they have used to justify skipping a workout, nearly one in four said they’ve employed “stayed too late at work” as an excuse, while a further 36 percent said having too much to work to do was a reason they’ve skipped a workout before. Topping the list with 56 percent was being “too tired” to work out.

The survey results were revealed at a panel held in New York City as part of the Freeletics Dare to be Free campaign which is the brand’s largest ever global marketing campaign.

However, according to the results, it seems many Americans will use any old excuse to get out of a workout.

For example, nearly a third of Americans have skipped a workout because the weather is too bad, and another one in ten have skipped a workout because the weather is too nice.

One in four (23 percent) have used eating too much to get out of a planned workout, and another 15 percent said they’d rather watch Netflix.

A lot of common excuses come down to convenience - still a big issue when it comes to exercise, and, according to the results, only 29 percent of Americans consider working out to be convenient.

Exercising can be tough to fit into a busy schedule, especially when the average American only has 89 minutes of free time a day, according to the survey results.

While the average American says they work out twice a week already, that number would jump to five times a week if it were more convenient and less expensive.

Not only that, the majority of respondents (69 percent) said that they believed regular exercise would help them quit their bad habits.

“In this study, we see a catch 22 situation,” said Daniel Sobhani, CEO of Freeletics. “69 percent of Americans believe regular exercise would help them quit their bad habits. However, because so many Americans are facing these common barriers to fitness, they can’t break out of the circle. Additionally, 46 percent feel that even their work has been a workout barrier, so this as an opportunity to push for positive change. It’s time fitness became more convenient. And this is exactly why we at Freeletics aim to eliminate all workout excuses.”

But is 2019 the year Americans will find their fitness freedom and get in shape on their terms?

When asked what it would take to get them exercising more, the top solutions were workouts to do at home (45 percent), cheaper alternatives to the gym (28 percent), classes with friends or colleagues (28 percent), and a personal trainer to be accountable to (27 percent).

“With Freeletics, we have been systematically providing people with these exact things they need to exercise more,” continued Sobhani. “The ability to have guided workouts wherever and whenever they want with a personal trainer in their pocket, and at less than the price of a fitness class per week. With our brand-new platform approach to fitness in our app - a type of Netflix for fitness - I am hopeful we will help more people discover just how simple and convenient regular exercise can really be."

TOP 10 REASONS AMERICANS DON’T EXERCISE MORE FREQUENTLY