Personal Barriers

With technological advances and conveniences, people’s lives have in many ways become increasingly easier, as well as less active. In addition, people have many personal reasons or explanations for being inactive. The most common reasons adults don't adopt more physically active lifestyles are cited as[1][2][3]:

insufficient time to exercise

inconvenience of exercise

lack of self-motivation

non-enjoyment of exercise

boredom with exercise

lack of confidence in their ability to be physically active (low self-efficacy)

fear of being injured or having been injured recently

lack of self-management skills, such as the ability to set personal goals, monitor

progress, or reward progress toward such goals

lack of encouragement, support, or companionship from family and friends

non-availability of parks, sidewalks, bicycle trails, or safe and pleasant walking

paths close to home or the workplace

The top three barriers to engaging in physical activity across the adult lifespan are[4]

time

energy

motivation

In a 2013 study[5] that aimed to identify the external and internal barriers to physical activity and exercise participation among middle-aged and elderly individuals the most common external barriers among the middle-aged and elderly respondents were 'not enough time', 'no one to exercise with' and 'lack of facilities'. The most common internal barriers for middle-aged respondents were 'too tired', 'already active enough', 'do not know how to do it' and 'too lazy', while those for elderly respondents were 'too tired', 'lack of motivation' and 'already active enough'.

Other barriers include

cost

facilities

illness or injury

transportation

partner issues

skill

safety considerations

child care

uneasiness with change

unsuitable programs

Environmental barriers

The environment in which we live has a great influence on our level of physical activity. Many factors in our environment affect us. Obvious factors include the accessibility of walking paths, cycling trails, and recreation facilities. Factors such as traffic, availability of public transportation, crime, and pollution may also have an effect. Other environmental factors include our social environment, such as support from family and friends, and community spirit. It is possible to make changes in our environment through campaigns to support active transportation, legislation for safer communities, and the creation of new recreation facilities