The amount of time, money and dedication required to live a fitness-based lifestyle isn’t always attainable because fitness is unfortunately a privilege, not a right.
Imagine a single mother of three: She has multiple jobs to provide for her family and spends her spare time with her kids. By the time she puts her kids to sleep, she has a list of chores to complete before she starts the cycle over again.
Being a single parent can be difficult. Most of the time, single parents don’t have the time to do everything a two-parent household might, according to a March 2019 article by The Daily Positive, a website focused on personal growth and positive living.
Of course, fitness is unable to fit in that single mother’s busy schedule because she has other commitments and priorities, but it doesn’t just apply to single parents. Living an active lifestyle can be tough for many people.
I started my fitness journey fall semester by joining a CrossFit gym and it changed my entire lifestyle. I woke up at 4:30 a.m. five times a week.
I was committed and felt good, but all that changed when spring semester started.
I quickly realized how hard it was to maintain my healthy lifestyle while working three jobs, being a full-time student, finishing chores and saving time for my family.
An Oct. 18, 2017 article in the Poughkeepsie Journal, New York’s mid-Hudson Valley area newspaper, says the idea of exercise as a separate act of exerting physical labor shows the individual has free time, something that shouldn’t be taken for granted.
There is also the financial aspect. If you genuinely commit to a fitness-based lifestyle, there are many expenses that some don’t realize.
You have to recognize “healthier” foods often cost more. Supplements including protein and pre-workout powders are costly and as you complement your workouts with enhancements, it adds up significantly.
“Not everyone can afford these supplements or can afford to workout multiple hours a day, and let me tell you that the price of this lifestyle is expensive,” said a March 20, 2019 article by The Odyssey online, a blog platform.
The average American spends $56 per month on supplements while more than 60% spends more than $40 per month, according to a May 2020 survey of 1,350 Americans from MyProtein, a nutrition company.
One can argue you may not need those items, but even the cost of a gym membership can be pricey.
The average monthly cost of a gym membership is $58 and in areas with a more expensive cost of living such as Brooklyn, monthly spending is more than $100, according to a Sept. 24, 2018 Healthline article.
The minimum wage in Santa Clara County is $15.65, according to the county website. Students have enough to worry about with essential expenses including rent, groceries and transportation. The $58 of remaining disposable income they’d use for a gym membership could make a huge dent in their finances.
A 2016 national postsecondary student aid study found the average monthly income for dependent full-time students was $325 per month.
Considering the average student can’t afford a membership to exercise, they’re still constantly bombarded with perfect bodies online that puts extra pressure on them.
Despite influencers and social media models online telling you “anyone can do it,” sometimes life gets difficult and you can’t always show up for leg day. So don’t be ashamed, do what works best for you.
