Barriers to Exercise Participation

Avatar for Hadyn Luke Hadyn Luke posted this on Tuesday 14th of November 2023 Hadyn Luke 14/11/2023

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Common Barriers to Exercise Participation

Screening, personal-profiling, and goal-setting help provide an accurate picture of an individual and allow a personalised training programme to be designed. However, in order to begin and maintain adherence to the programme, it is important to identify and deal with any potential barriers.

It may be that at the point of beginning a program, the client has no obvious barriers, but barriers may present themselves at any time during the training program It is important to identify these barriers swiftly and deal with them appropriately in order to keep the programme on track and meet the set goals. Asking specific questions can help identify barriers, which can then be written down and a solution agreed upon.

An effective way of implementing this process is to use a Decision Balance Sheet before commencing the programme and also if a barrier occurs at any time throughout.

Some of the most common barriers to consider are the following:

  • Physical barriers
  • Emotional barriers
  • Motivational barriers
  • Time barriers
  • Availability barriers

Physical Barriers

Physical barriers are categorised in the following manner:

  • Age
  • Injury
  • Disability
  • Health problems
  • Overweight

These factors may affect an individual’s capability to perform certain activities. If these factors are present before the training programme commences, they will be highlighted during the screening process.

However, they may also develop during the training programme. If these factors are present, they must be carefully considered when setting SMART goals and throughout the training cycle.

Emotional Barriers

Emotional barriers are categorised in the following manner:

  • Being self-conscious
  • Shyness
  • Being worried about ‘overdoing it’ and becoming injured, or health being affected

These types of barriers can be easily overcome with empathy and re-assurance. It is important to give thorough explanations of exercises, where they should be feeling it, how it should feel, and what the short- and long-term effects of the specific activities are.

Motivational Barriers

Motivational barriers are categorised in the following manner:

  • Not achieving a short-term goal
  • Being tired and having no energy
  • Being bored with the training programme

One of the greatest motivations for an individual is to feel a sense of achievement and to see changes taking place. The physiological changes that occur due to training can be very subtle and may not always be noticed by an individual.

Consider using the following motivational tools to combat the motivational barriers listed above:

  • Keep a training diary: recording repetitions, sets, resistance, number of exercises, and how you feel can make it easier to see the small changes that would not necessarily be noticed if they had not been written down. Recording small changes helps to achieve short-term goals and therefore contributes to the overall long-term goal in the
  • Train with a friend. Arranging to meet and train with a friend helps at times when motivation is low. Individuals are more likely to turn up for a training session if they are meeting someone than if they are training Training together can also be more enjoyable and make you train harder.
  • Variety: the training session should be changed regularly. Sessions may be changed every six to eight sessions to begin with, and then every four to six weeks to stop boredom and ensure that a plateau does not occur and improvements are

Time

These barriers are quite simply about not having enough time.

This may be due to one of, or a combination of, the following:

  • Work commitments
  • Family commitments
  • Shift patterns

This is possibly one of the most important aspects that should be discussed during the goal-setting phase.

No matter how thorough the training programme is, short- and long-term goals will not be achieved if client does not have enough time to complete the actual training sessions.

Availability Barriers

Availability barriers are categorised in the following manner:

  • Not having suitable facilities nearby
  • Not being able to afford a
  • Not having the appropriate clothing and shoes

These can be overcome through discussion, negotiation, and by giving appropriate advice and suggestions on the correct attire and different types of memberships. Full memberships to some health clubs can be expensive, but an off-peak membership is usually considerably cheaper. Planning training to minimise the use of specialised equipment or facilities may also be useful, for example, by doing cardiovascular sessions outdoors instead.

Helping People Overcome Barriers

When a barrier presents itself, it is important to do something to overcome it.

This means going back to the contemplation stage to re-establish training aims and to go through the SMART goal-setting process again with consideration of the barrier.

When dealing with barriers, you must consider the following:

  • Try not to be judgmental or dismissive, because, as far as the individual is concerned, it is a serious problem. Therefore, you must take them seriously, however unimportant you may feel the issue is. Try to be empathetic, genuine, and warm, and be prepared to listen and show that you care.
  • Respect their point of view and avoid the ‘I know better’ approach. Show empathy and understanding to the problem and use positive and reassuring body language during
  • Use active listening skills and let the client ask questions, give feedback, offer support, and, above all, offer a realistic solution to the problem.
  • Use the SMART acronym to discuss, negotiate, and agree training aims to establish a client’s expectations and Set long- and short-term goals, but ensure you make them flexible, not rigid.
  • Try to establish a sense of self-responsibility with your client. Once discussions and agreements have taken place, the client must take responsibility themselves. Make them feel positive, supported, and able to work around any barriers that may occur.
  • Encourage social support (i.e., family, friends, and work colleges) from the
  • Identify an exercise partner to aid motivation and exercise
  • Prepare for situations that may induce relapse and plan ways of coping with them to avoid a complete Ensure the client understands that a relapse is an inevitable part of change and not a failure.
  • Overweight individuals can find it hard to exercise due to their size, making their programme unpleasant and painful. Consider ways to adapt exercises and avoid such negative feelings.
  • Identify the physiological and psychological benefits associated with exercise, such as mood enhancement, improved self-esteem, reduced depression, and weight loss.
  • Respect the client’s point of view and take time to explore the ‘pros and cons’ of their barriers.
  • Listen carefully to what is being said, and be empathetic, meaning that you acknowledge their views.
  • Congratulate and encourage them every step of the way, as just saying ‘well done’ to someone for turning up can make all the difference.

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