As I wrote about the thousands of Scots who go short on exercise this week, so the window closed on my own plans for a 30 minute work-out. No matter how fast I typed or handled emails and phone calls, I could feel the elevator doors of work and domestic responsibilities heaving towards each other before slamming shut once again.
With the laptop still glowing I was cooking dinner for the girls (they must have their vegetables), working how my oldest daughter could go out to greet a returning paralympian (must ensure range of cultural experience for offspring), supervising homework (must engender early reading skills), instigating the bedtime routine (must make sure kids not overtired for school), preparing three packed lunches (more healthy eating obligations), cooking dinner for my husband and I (back to the vegetables again). At 8.52pm I had a pocket of eight minutes before the evening meal was ready when I could potentially have run on the spot or briefly swung a kettlebell around. I confess I organised my seven-year-old’s swimming kit and started sorting the two Ikea bags full of laundry instead.
So despite good intentions and heightened awareness of why physical exertion is important, I am among the 41 per cent of women represented in the Scottish Health Survey who do not manage minimum exercise levels. I’m not sedentary but there are so many competing priorities – many of them to do with raising a healthy family – so my own need for physical activity repeatedly drops off the edge. This isn't a whinge. I like my life and many people are in more difficult situations, but diktats for healthy living (like 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every week) are issued as though achieving them is simple. I've heard those with slick fitness regimes make glib comments about those of us who find it hard, dismissing reasons for not star-jumping by the bed each morning or running as the sun goes down as "excuses". Well, sometimes so called "excuses" feel more valid than dedicating time to your own physique.
Thanks to members of my local squash club, who tolerate my abysmal racket skills, I do raise my heart rate on Monday evenings most weeks and generally enjoy it. However, it takes robustness to show-up week after week and be the worst player by far. I forgive anyone who could not do it. Plus the courts are close to home, the timing suits my family and I only joined because a friend persuaded me it would be ok.
There are many reasons why people don’t exercise. I suggest: lack of time, lack of confidence, fear of injury, a sense of fatalism. For a long time, having been bottom of the class in physical education and among the last picked for any team, I assumed I did not belong anywhere near a gym.
Public health research often focuses on what we should do and what we are not doing. Perhaps next year the Scottish Health Survey could also consider asking folk why they they aren't exercising more - or indeed why they aren't eating more fruit and veg - and what might make a difference to them. It strikes me as more useful for everyone.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here