Overcoming Obstacles: Motivation, Time, and Other Challenges Revealed Through Market Research
I recently put out a survey asking 9 simple health and fitness questions for my own personal market research. Having a marketing degree, I know the importance of market research. But sadly I also know the lack-of participation from people who just won’t take the time. Which I find interesting because everything we touch or use on a daily basis initially started out as market research before it became the “thing” we are using today. How do you think toothpaste brands know not to make flavors like avocado and taco seasoning? How do you think Apple knows what features to include in the newest iPhone? How do you think automobile manufacturers know which safety features are most important to potential van buyers (i.e. family vehicles) to keep their families safe? They don’t guess and hope for the best. They reach out to the people who are going to use or buy these products and compile the data in order to give the consumer what they want. But unfortunately, people won’t answer calls or take these surveys online because they “don’t have the time” but I guarantee you look at their screen time on their phone and there is plenty of time spent scrolling reels or videos on social media platforms.
Can you tell I am slightly passionate about the need for market research?? I could go on for hours on this topic alone…. but let me get back on track…..
40 people responded to my survey (THANK YOU!!!!) and the data I received led me to this particular blog: overcoming the obstacles you are faced with in your journey of reaching your fitness goals and living a life of optimal health. So let's get started with Overcoming Obstacles: Motivation, Time, and Other Challenges Revealed Through Market Research.
Obstacle #1 Lack of Motivation
So how do you get motivated? It’s not like you can just flip a switch and suddenly be motivated. And there is no one-size-fits-all answer as everyone is motivated differently. But one suggestion I have is to get with like-minded people who want the same thing as you. Facebook has tons of groups where people get together to work out or keep each other accountable. I started Get Fit Fox Cities for the local area but anyone can join the group for motivation. Feel free to join! Everyone is welcome.
If you don’t feel comfortable doing a group or don’t have a Facebook page, you can reach out to friends and ask if someone will be your walking buddy. You can create a little friendly competition with your family to see who can get the most steps each day (that is assuming you all have watches that track that sort of thing). Consider getting a personal trainer, nutrition coach, or sign up for a gym membership if you have the means. But keep in mind - sometimes your lack of motivation comes from somewhere a little deeper that I am not equipped to give you advice on. Call your doctor and make an appointment to discuss your lack of motivation. Share with them what you want and your struggles with finding the motivation needed to reach those wants. It never hurts to have a conversation with a medical professional regarding your mental and emotional well-being. But I did a little searching and found a really good article I believe you will benefit from if you need help boosting your lack of motivation. https://www.betterup.com/blog/lack-of-motivation
Obstacle #2 Lack of Time
I am going to refer back to my above comment on checking your screen time. While you (I am not saying YOU, but people in general) can lie, exaggerate or deny how you spend every minute of your day this obstacle is a perfect time to share that numbers don’t lie. So I challenge you, check your screen time and see how many minutes or hours you are spending on your phone. And be honest with yourself. Let’s do an activity.
There are 24 hours in a day = 168 hours in a 7-day week
Say you sleep 7 hours a night each night (49 hours)
Say you work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, with a 30 minute commute to and from work each day and a 30 minute lunch break (47.5 hours)
Say you spend 6 days a week toting kids back and forth to extra curricular activities at an hour and half each day (9 hours)
Say you spend 1 hour a day preparing meals for your family (7 hours)
Say you spend 2 hours a day doing household chores, homework with kids, showering, personal hygiene, etc (14 hours)
49 + 47.5 + 9 + 7 + 14 = 126.5 hours obligated each week
Now, just to add a buffer, let’s give you an additional 10 hours a week to do whatever else your home life requires of you.
126.5 + 10 = 136.5 hours obligated each week
168 (total hours each week) - 136.5 (obligated hours each week) = 31.5 hours left over.
So lucky you - I just found over 30 hours for you!!!! Yippee!
Now, your numbers may fluctuate, and maybe you spend more time toting kids around each week. So let me ask you this - what are you doing while you are waiting for your kids at their extra curricular activity? If you are sitting in your car, or chatting with other parents - that is time you could be doing something. So, even though it ads obligated time, we could actually subtract the sitting/waiting/chatting time which would likely give you even more time in your week.
This is probably the hardest obstacle buster for people to hear. Because while in theory you feel busy…. If you are not using your time wisely (or ever did an activity like I just did) you don’t realize how much time you actually have. And when being provided with the math (remember, numbers don’t life) - it forces most people to admit to themselves that they just don’t want to put in the time.
Obstacle #3 Health Issues or Injuries
I’ve got good news for you - let’s shift your focus from what your body CAN’T do to what your body CAN do. I found some articles for you.
Exercising with Chronic Conditions
How to Exercise with Limited Mobility
Health Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle
Overcoming Barriers and Get Moving
Basically - EVERYONE has the capability of being active and healthy. I will just look different from person to person.
Obstacle #4 Financial Constraints
Some gym memberships can be expensive. Eating healthy can also prove costly. So here are my tips to removing financial constraints from your health and fitness journey.
YouTube has thousands beyond thousands of workout videos you can choose from and do in your home, in your garage, at a friends house, in a hotel room, at the park, heck - anywhere you take your phone you can do a workout. They range from Yoga, Step, HIIT, strength and conditioning, body weight exercises, resistance exercises, workouts for beginners, workouts that take 10 minutes or less, workouts you can do using things you can find in your house. You name it - it’s there. And it’s COMPLETELY FREE! One of my all time favorites is https://www.cdornerfitness.com/ and while she does a lot of Step workouts (she does have others), everything can be done on the ground.
As far as nutrition goes - go look in your cabinets, pantry and fridge. If you aren’t ready to make a total change on your nutrition one thing you can do is look at the serving sizes of the foods you are currently eating and for one week eat your meals based off of the actual serving size on the nutrition label. You should also start a food journal and track what you are putting in your mouth. This means everything and anything - food, snacks, a bite here and there, drinks, etc. Track it for about 3-7 days and you will be surprised at how many calories you are taking in. Even if you don’t change your diet, just by being aware and consuming smaller portions you will see weight loss. “In one weight loss study of nearly 1,700 participants, those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records” (Harvard Health).
Harvard Health has a good blog on food tracking.
Obstacle #5 was tied with Limited Access to Facilities/Equipment and Poor Planning and Organization
For limited access to facilities and equipment - see answer to Obstacle #3. You DO NOT need a fancy gym or top of the line equipment to be healthy and fit. I promise you that.
And for poor planning and organization - get a family calendar (or a sheet of paper will do) and start scheduling your time like you would your kid’s dentist appointments or school activities. Make YOURSELF a priority and put 30 minutes on your calendar at least 5 days a week (we did the math earlier… you have the time) or put a reminder in your phone. Personally, my husband and I use a calendar app called Cupla and we literally schedule EVERYTHING in there. We have the paid version but there is a free version that still does the job. We are able to give it labels, we are able to schedule things for both of us or each of us individually. I put all my workouts in there - the ones I teach at the YMCA, the ones I do by myself and the ones I have scheduled with clients. We even schedule conversations if the topic is something we need to make time for - like kids in college, financial planning, business operations, etc. And to be completely honest, by scheduling everything we are able to see that while we are very busy, we also have a lot of free time (we call it white space) where we can’t use excuses like “I didn’t have time this week” because we can look back and prove to each other we did in fact have more than enough time for XYZ. So consider a calendar. It’s made a world of difference for us. And now we don’t feel nearly as bogged down with commitments.
So this blog was a little longer than most but I wanted to provide you with real ways to overcome some of the obstacles that keep you from being the healthiest version of yourself. And if you have questions about your own health and fitness please reach out. I am aways happy to help.
Side note: If it’s not asking too much, the next time you are given an opportunity to take part in a survey or questionnaire please take the time to do it. Market research is important.
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