I promise you will walk away from this episode feeling empowered to achieve your fitness goals, even while under financial pressure.

Gym memberships, expensive equipment and fitness subscriptions can make exercise feel financially out of reach. In this episode, we explore practical ways to build strength, improve fitness and stay consistent without spending a fortune.

"I don't have time to exercise."

It's one of the most common barriers to exercise, but is finding more time really the solution?

In the first episode of my Barriers to Exercise series, we explore the psychology of competing priorities, the gap between intentions and action, and what research on minimum effective doses of strength training tells us about doing less without giving up on progress.

Research referenced

Spiering, B. A., Mujika, I., Sharp, M. A., & Foulis, S. A. (2021). Maintaining physical performance: The minimal dose of exercise needed to preserve endurance and strength over time. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 35(5), 1449–1458.

https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003964

Nuzzo, J. L., Pinto, M. D., Kirk, B. J. C., & Nosaka, K. (2024). Resistance exercise minimal dose strategies for increasing muscle strength in the general population: An overview. Sports Medicine, 54, 1139–1162.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-024-02009-0

We’re pretty good at deciding what we want. The harder part is working out why we want it, whether the goal actually belongs to us, and what we need to do today to move towards it.

In this episode, I break down my approach to values, goals, strategy and action, exploring the psychology of self-concordance, behavioural activation and motivation, and how I use this framework to create a realistic morning routine when life is already full.

I also introduce Weekly Friction, where this week I’m questioning when social media stops being work and starts becoming scrolling.

Research:

• Sheldon, K. M., & Elliot, A. J. (1999). Goal striving, need satisfaction, and longitudinal well-being: The Self-Concordance Model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76(3), 482–497.
  DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.76.3.482
• Sezer, B., et al. (2025). Goal motives, goal-regulatory processes, psychological needs, and well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Motivation Science, 11(3), 259–276.
  DOI: 10.1037/mot0000366