Barriers

There are many reasons why older people – or any of us – are not physically active or do not exercise;

It can help to think about your own patterns of physical activity throughout your lifetime.

• What physical activity did you do as a child, teenager, young adult, middle age?
• Has there been a theme to the physical activity in your life? E.g. sport and competition? Being outdoors?
• Who or what was a big influence on your attitudes, motivation and involvement in physical activity?
• What barriers, conditions, life happenings inhibited your active life? And what enabled you to be active?
• What helped you to start again after a setback or a period of inactivity?
• Who inspired you or supported you? 

Each older person is an individual, with their own lifetime of physical activities, however these are some common reasons for not being physically active.  

• I do not need as much physical activity
• Exercise is dangerous
• I might injure myself
• I have pain 
• Only vigorous and sustained exercise is of any use
• I prefer sedentary activities, such as reading and socialising
• Cost may be too high
• Many sports and activities attract younger adults and I  feel unwelcome
• There are not activities which suit my needs