A recent survey found that unpleasant experiences in PE lessons put 28 per cent of people off exercise for life. In the UK, if you didn't take to traditional sports like football or rugby, you may have come to believe sport isn't for you. As an adult, the pressure to exercise for health often leads to running, which can feel horrible if your body isn't ready, so many stop. The missing element is choice: exercise becomes less of a chore when you find a form of movement you enjoy and actively choose to do regularly.
Anne Dockery, a 77-year-old champion runner and triathlete from Bristol, exemplifies this. She only started running at 52 and initially found it boring. By joining a diverse group of runners who chatted and ran together, she soon covered up to 18 miles a day without it feeling like exercise. The social element made it fun. Similarly, the author's uncle joined a volleyball club in his sixties, and his mother and friends discovered joy in Cornish pilot gig rowing or dance classes.
The author personally experienced this transformation. After a growth spurt at 16, he felt awkward and tried the gym to bulk up, but left after others sniggered at his efforts. He later bought cheap dumbbells and a barbell, devoured strength training literature, and began lifting in his garden shed. Over months, his body and mindset changed, and he grew to love it. He eventually returned to the gym with confidence and a self-made plan. Now a fitness coach, he advises starting with a coach to learn fundamental exercises like squats, lunges, presses, and rows, or using accessible home workouts to build confidence.
