This Girl Can classes are “designed to tackle the enjoyment gap,” says trainer Lisa Brockwell. To really exorcise the ghost of school cross-country runs, look for something you find fun. “If you’re going to be doing it for the next 20 or 30 years, what does it matter?” Bridge the ‘enjoyment gap’ …

“I don’t want people to think, ‘I’ve got to do this three times every week’ – because you just don’t,” she adds. Sometimes life will get in the way, and that’s OK. “Lots of Instagram influencers say: ‘You’ll never regret a workout, no excuses.’ I don’t believe that,” says Verdier. Search for something short online, from 20 minutes of absolute beginner’s yoga with Adriene to the Couch to Fitness five-minute “bite-size” sessions. “There’s no scientific reason we exercise for an hour,” reminds Verdier. Aim for little and often: “It’s easier to build a habit by doing something for five minutes each day than to spend 45 minutes three or four times a week.” “Nobody is motivated all the time,” says Sarah Scudamore of Mumology Movement. (Picture posed by model.) Photograph: pixdeluxe/Getty Images It’s a good reason to start sensibly in terms of how you pitch the intensity.” Do a little, regularly …Ī quick stretch is better than none at all.

“Training is a stress: a positive stress, but a stress. “People have families and work and they’re sleep deprived,” he says. “You get trainers who say: ‘We all have the same 24 hours a day,’” says Hannah Verdier, who only started exercising in her early 40s and is now a personal trainer in south London. Focus on what you can do, make small changes: they have an enormous impact when you do them consistently.” Be realistic It’s a sentiment echoed by my friend Simon, who says: “There is often a feeling of ‘the other guys are laughing at how little weight I’m lifting.’” For Thompson, it’s often a case of persuading men to “start where you are. “If you’ve spent your whole life being inactive, how you view yourself and how others view you is based on that identity and it’s a huge shift to start to pull at those seams.” Men in particular, he says, have an expectation that they should already be strong. “Identity is a huge part of it,” says Robbie Thompson, a trainer and coach who has worked with Northumbria police and Deloitte. Guilt at taking time away from family a belief it’s too late the “I can’t train yet because I’m too unfit” mindset – trainers have heard it all. (Picture posed by models.) Photograph: Thomas Barwick/Getty Images In challenging times, boosting our health and wellbeing through movement – be it a walk, swim, jog, a dance or a fitness class – is essential.”įocus on what you can do, not what you think you should be doing. Women, lower-income households, people from Black and south Asian backgrounds and those with a long-term health condition or disability are still less likely to be active. “But the pandemic exacerbated existing lower activity levels for certain groups of people.

“Our latest Active Lives survey found that activity levels are now starting to recover after the disruptions of the pandemic,” says Kate Dale of Sport England. But why? It’s often a combination of reasons: time, money, health, feeling unsure where to start, mobility problems, being intimidated by gyms, or even scarred by school PE lessons. In reality a huge 12.4 million of us are inactive. L ooking around the streets and parks of the UK, or scrolling through #fitspo workout selfies on social media, it can sometimes feel as if everyone is exercising: running, weightlifting, wild swimming or competing in Ironman triathlons.

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