Fitness & Equipment Guides > 5 Popular Reasons People Stop Exercising (and Why)

5 Popular Reasons People Stop Exercising (and Why)

13th Jan 20

Exercise is one of the most important parts of life. No matter what you do, where you do it or what you enjoy doing, it’s a good idea to do it, as the NHS recommends (150 minutes per week, to be precise). However, one of the best ways to make sure that you stick to your workout routine or exercise plan is by making sure you don’t fall down the pitfalls that fitness can create. Keeping it up long-term isn’t easy after all, and it’s really easy to stop exercising altogether if it happens.

There are tonnes of different reasons out there that people stop exercising, and, to make sure that none of them happens to you, the first thing that we need to do is look at what they are and the steps we can take to make prevent them. Fitness is for life, after all, and you need to make sure it’s something you can keep up with.


Want to move fast? Jump to the right section below.

  1. It’s Inconvenient
  2. It’s Not Enjoyable
  3. It Got Boring
  4. You Stopped Making Any Progress
  5. You Took Too Long A Break

1. It’s Inconvenient

Man sleeping on his exercise mat

The first reason that the vast majority of people use to stop exercising is that it was just too much of a pain in the butt. Finding the time to exercise is hard enough for the most motivated people on the planet, and if you’re balancing a busy work or family life or you just don’t like exercise, that’s one of the biggest reasons to give it up.

To ensure that you’re not in this category, the best thing you can do for your health is find a way to exercise that actually fits in with life and needs you to sacrifice the least. For example, if you love your bed, maybe don’t try the 5 am workout pre-work. On the other hand, if you love your weekends, try to get them done in the week. Whatever you do, just try to make sure they don’t get in the way of the more enjoyable parts of life. You need to find the balance.

2. It’s Not Enjoyable

Woman out of breath while jogging

This is another huge reason people stop exercising and quit the gym, especially, and it’s an easy fix. For some people, exercise is just not that enjoyable. Or so they think. If you hate going to the gym regularly or you think that going for a run is just the worst thing imaginable, make sure that’s not what you have to do on a regular basis.

The easiest way to fix this one is pretty easy. It may take a bit of trial and error, but you’ll get there. The best thing that you can possibly do is to find an exercise that you actually enjoy. Think about it. Make sure that you do it! Join a sports team that plays every week and trains too, or start running on your lunch break. Even getting a gym buddy or taking up mountain biking can be just the thing you need. Everyone is different, and see what works best for you.

3. It Got Boring

sleeping person on cross trainer

This is kind of like what we said above, but it’s not. For some people, even when you find an exercise you love more than life itself, things get a little stale. If you’re doing the same workout four times a week for the next 30 years of your life, things are bound to get dull, and it only makes sense to give up the exercise after a while. Luckily, this is another easy fix…

The best way to solve this problem is to change things up. Switch things around completely. The best way to stop you from getting bored with your workout is by making sure you don’t do the same thing for too long. Instead, find what you like and ride it until the wheels fall off. That’s when you jump to the next one. Don’t get too comfortable!

4. You Stopped Making Any Progress

woman lifting weights

This one happens to everyone, no matter who you are or how you like to exercise. There always comes the point in life where you just aren’t progressing like you used to. Progress can halt if your beginner gains are long gone, or you have no weight left to lose. That’s totally normal, and it’s not a reason to quit if you have a backup plan.

For this, we have two suggestions. The first one is to change up your training completely. If what you’re doing isn’t working, the best thing to do is to do something else. Bust through the plateau by shock factor. If not, taking a break can be a good call, too, every now and then. Take a week off to enjoy life without exercise. We all need breaks, and that’s not a bad thing!

5. You Took Too Long A Break

person relaxing at home in a chair

Last but not least, while we’re talking about breaks, it makes sense to look at one of the biggest reasons people give up anything in life, especially exercise; they took too long a break. If you were trying to get to a certain goal, got there and then took a break, it’s way too easy just to give up. The same goes for if you took time out for literally anything. Jumping back into exercise can be one of the hardest things you can do.

The best way to fix it is to attempt to minimise the time you take off where you can. Of course, life will always get in the way from time to time, but even just going the odd 10-minute workout from home can help you stop the ship from sailing completely. So do what you can and remember why you started!

All of these happen to the best of us, and the worst thing you can do is beat yourself up for not achieving your goals. However, there’s always time to pick up and start again, and if that’s what you want to do, then don’t be afraid to do it.
Wanting to stop exercising is only natural now and then; you’re only human. Good luck!


Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.

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