A theory on why people don't get enough exercise...

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When you're a child, you are full of energy. You want to RUN everywhere, and this was especially true for me. In fact, right now, at age 29, I still like to run places! Although running is disallowed in public buildings, I run through parking lots and sometimes down city sidewalks, and regularly take the first parking spot I see, even if it's far away since the distance is no object for me. I remain as fit as I do despite a poor diet (due to being a picky eater) because of this exercise. Although it does help that I'm sensitive to fullness, and never WANT to eat as much at a sitting as a lot of overweight/obese people!

Well, most kids aren't given NEARLY enough opportunity to run and otherwise use their natural exuberance. Between sitting still for long periods in school, fear of lawsuits and fear of children getting hurt, children simply AREN'T ALLOWED TO RUN AROUND ENOUGH. So their bodies adapt to this, and they tend to WANT to sit a lot by the time they're 20 or 25, which makes them much more susceptible to obesity, high cholesterol, heart attacks and all that jazz.

So then we try to "force" kids and adults alike to get more exercise, which literally turns play into work. Instead of the fun time kids (and I daresay, adults!) are SUPPOSED to have moving around, it becomes one more chore to get through, which leaves people with less willpower for eating right and other healthy habits. There's enough temptation as it is with fast food, alcohol, cigarettes, the Internet, video games, etc.

If I manage to have children, running WILL be allowed in the house, I'll make sure they can't break anything expensive or irreplaceable, and I'll make sure there isn't anything that could seriously injure or kill them. This will be ESPECIALLY important if school makes them sit still too much... I'll even homeschool them if the public schools are REALLY bad about it!

yes! i totally agree!

<--- Doesn't get enough exercise because he's a lazy sod.

I once told a physiotherapist, that I didn´t want arranged training, but just wanted to ape around, free style. Ohnono, he said, but I seruiously believe, that the impulse to "ape" is there for a reason, even in adults. We just need to accept it, but it is coming.
Here, i CPH in a park nearby, there is a new adult playground with bars and ropes to swing in

Mine's an energy problem. I wanted to run like a bat out of you-know-where all the time, and I would. In the house, in the yard, I would even do whole laps around the house. But as soon as I turned 16, my energy plummeted, and now if I want to run, it's usually because I'm having a serious meltdown or flashback caused by PTSD. Otherwise, I can only sleep for 15-16 hours a day and hope I have enough energy to get through the day.

Most people don’t take to exercising because they assume that exercising can cause them severe injuries, accidents and pain.Reason is they don't know the perfect way to do it.

Commercial for some exercise thing I've been seeing on TV says the number 1 reason people don't exercise is lack of time which I find hard to believe. As the OP noted kids are discouraged from being active. Some parents try to get their kids on medication like ADHD meds because they're difficult for the parents to deal with or the kids have problems keeping still & learning the sedative way schools expect them to. My mom taught preK & she seen kids get put on meds for those reasons & most of them needed a constructive release for their energy instead of medication.

I was not an active kid but I have some disabilities & was bullied aLOT so I needed down time to unwind instead of being active. I don't mind walking but I cant do it as much this time of year due to winter weather; snow & ice on side-walks can be dangerous & I don't like being really cold. I use some 5 pound weights some but I forget alot.

Why I actually dont get enough exercise:

Because its f*****g winter, its f*****g cold, you cant go swimming, you cant go driving bicycle, because of me actually being pregnant you cant even do some normal trecking tours because of the possible danger to slip on the ice, out of the same reason I cant go climbing/bouldering. And when I leave my work, its anyway f*****g dark since about 3 hours, so your body is then already starting sleeping mode and its hard enough to do the needed housework, while you are already half asleep.

Beside some exercising at home and some gymnastics/stretching it simply actually sucks.

tired, no focus

This theory does seem to have some truth though active kids such as my son are hard to stop from running around. I still think most adults are just lazy.!

in my experience this is actually everyones reason

people find out I ride a bike everywhere and are shocked, and then they ask me how I stay so thin (really?!) simple answer I got off my lazy ass and did things.

The body seeks equilibrium, and the body wants to conserve energy to avoid starvation. It is how humans survived the ice ages.

It is not good when you have cheap calories thrown at you on every street.

People need to eat better, and hit the gym.

I'm 16 and it's been quite a long time since I last went to the gym. I kinda look like a creepy sock monster now. I really want to exercise more but I'm just so tired all the time, I can't motivate myself in a way that will keep me moving. I skateboard sometimes but that's it.