Respond to concerns
What concerns might you have about becoming more active, if you decided to?
Some common concerns
If they mention one of these common concerns, click on it to see a useful response.
I don’t know what I can do and how exercise can help
I’m worried that if I try to exercise I’ll fall
Won’t it make things worse if I exercise?
I don’t have the motivation to exercise.
I can’t find the motivation to exercise…
It’s too difficult to get anywhere to exercise…
I am overweight, will exercising help me lose weight?
I don’t know where to start…
I’ve never done any exercise…
I don’t want to go to a gym…
I don’t enjoy it!
How do I know when to stop exercise?
I can’t afford it…
My gym said I need medical clearance before being active: am I OK to exercise?
I get put off by the weather!
No one in my community does exercise, it’s not in our culture…
I am worried about having a heart attack if I become more active
I already feel tired and you want me to do more…
I’ve already tried this before but stopped because I saw no benefit…
Insight
Many people with health problems – and those without – have reasonable concerns about becoming more active. When you ask them about this, saying “if you decided to” reminds them that they are the decision maker, not you, keeping the discussion open and active, focusing your supportive role.
Find a way to reflect that you understand – ‘Yes, that is a common concern’ or ‘you’re concerned that being more active may make your pain worse’ (said as a statement, not a question).
Allow some space for people to talk about and explore new information, asking ‘what do you think about what I’ve just said?’ rather than asking ‘do you understand?’ which can shut things down. Ask if they need anything clarifying and what concerns they might have about how the information applies to them.
