No one is Lazy — Just Conditioned: How Upstream Forces Shape Our Health and Exercise

If you’ve ever told yourself you’re “lazy,” “undisciplined,” or “just not an exercise person,” you’re not alone. In fact, most people who walk through our doors at Monaro Physio carry some version of that story. And almost every time, it’s not the truth.

What looks like a personal flaw is usually the downstream effect of something much bigger — the social, cultural, and environmental conditions we grow up in. These are what we call the upstream determinants of health, and they shape our habits, our beliefs, and even our sense of identity long before we ever step into a gym or a physio clinic.

This blog is about reframing the narrative. Because you’re not lazy. You’re human — and you’ve been shaped by systems that weren’t designed with your long‑term health in mind.

How We Learn to See Exercise as Punishment

For many of us, the earliest messages about movement weren’t exactly positive.

• School taught us that exercise happens when a bell rings, not when our body wants to move. You run when you’re told. You stop when you’re told. You play only in the designated window. Movement becomes something controlled, not something joyful.

• Sport became a hierarchy, where the “athletic kids” got praise and the rest of us learned to associate movement with embarrassment, comparison, or failure.

• Fitness culture turned exercise into a moral test — something you do to “burn off” food, fix your body, or make up for being “bad.”

By the time we reach adulthood, it’s no wonder so many people see exercise as punishment rather than nourishment. The conditioning runs deep.

Advertising, Convenience, and the Modern Environment

Then there’s the world we live in now — an environment engineered for convenience, comfort, and consumption.

• Ultra‑processed foods are everywhere, cheap, and aggressively marketed.

• Work hours are long, commutes are draining, and stress is high.

• Screens compete for every spare moment of attention.

• Many neighbourhoods aren’t designed for walking or recreation.

• Social media reinforces unrealistic expectations about what “healthy” looks like.

When you zoom out, it becomes obvious: the modern world is not built to make healthy choices easy. It’s built to make profitable choices easy.

So when someone struggles with exercise or lifestyle change, it’s not a character flaw — it’s a predictable outcome of the environment they’re living in.

Upstream Determinants: The Bigger Picture

Upstream determinants of health include:

• Social factors — income, education, work conditions, family stress, community support

• Environmental factors — access to safe spaces, transport, food availability, weather

• Cultural factors — beliefs about health, body image, gender roles, stigma

• Historical factors — trauma, adverse childhood experiences, generational patterns

These forces shape behaviour long before motivation even enters the picture. They influence:

• Whether you feel safe exercising

• Whether you have time

• Whether you have energy

• Whether you believe you’re “the kind of person” who exercises

• Whether movement feels joyful or shame‑based

When you understand this, the whole story changes. Instead of “Why can’t I stick to it?”, the question becomes “What’s getting in the way — and how can we work with it rather than against it?”

You Don’t Need More Willpower — You Need Better Conditions

The research is clear: people don’t succeed because they’re more disciplined. They succeed because their environment supports the behaviour they want.

Small, repeatable actions. Positive experiences. A sense of safety and belonging. Movement that feels good, not punishing.

When exercise becomes something that fits your life — rather than something you feel you “should” do — everything shifts.

Rewriting the Story

At Monaro Physio, we see this every day. When people stop blaming themselves and start understanding the upstream factors shaping their health, they become more compassionate, more consistent, and more empowered.

You’re not lazy. You’re not broken. You’re not behind.

You’ve just been conditioned by systems that didn’t teach you how to build a healthy relationship with movement.

But conditioning can be rewritten — and that’s where the real work (and the real freedom) begins with a bit of self compassion.

If you’d like help building a movement routine that feels good, sustainable, and aligned with your life, we’re here for you.