Many of the world’s population is not active enough to stay healthy. The World Health Organization estimates that more than a quarter of the world’s adults are insufficiently active, while the CDC reports that only about one in four adults and one in six high school students in the US fully meet physical activity guidelines.

As our lives become increasingly sedentary through a combination of screen-based jobs and leisure activities, and the use of motorized transport, there is a negative impact on people’s health.

However, technology can provide solutions for many of the issues people cite for not undertaking physical activity. Here are some of the most common reasons and how to overcome them.

1. Problem: Lack of Time

Lack of time is one huge reason that many people give for failing to exercise. While it’s true that life is busy, exercise is important enough to schedule into your calendar—just as you do for food and sleep.

Consider the best times to suit you, and schedule short exercise programs or routines. There are several great workout apps for exercising when you’re short on time.

Why not build movement into your working day? Small changes all add up and contribute towards a more active lifestyle. Wear a movement tracker to make sure you meet your movement targets. Then take the stairs when you can, go for a walk during your breaks, or even download an app that will lead you through a series of movements. Wakeout is designed specifically to provide short, fun activities for all fitness levels to energize you during your working day.

Download: Wakeout for iOS (Subscription required, free trial available)

2. Problem: Lack of Energy

According to research at the University of Georgia, exercise has been proven to significantly reduce fatigue. So although it sounds counterintuitive, sometimes, when you feel you lack energy, exercise may be just what you need to revive you.

To test the theory, why not schedule your workout for a time that suits you? Use a mood tracker app like Daylio to track your mood and see if you feel better afterward. And celebrate any wins, however small!

Download: Daylio for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)

3. Problem: Lack of Motivation

One of the best ways to counter a lack of motivation is to set yourself challenges so you don’t get stuck in a rut. For many people, joining up with others to participate in a fitness challenge, whether with friends or online, is the perfect solution. If this sounds appealing, why not check out these fitness challenge apps to compete with your friends?

BetterTogether is one of the most popular weight loss challenge apps, where you compete with your family, friends, or co-workers in a tournament to see who can lose the biggest percentage of weight. If your aim is to shape up, you could take on an exercise plan such as the Couch to 5K challenge using apps that will help you train for fitness.

Download: BetterTogether for iOS | Android (Free)

4. Problem: Fear of Injury

If you’ve ever had a sports injury or you have any health concerns, it’s easy to let the fear of future injury put you off getting active. Counter this by taking time to warm up properly beforehand, whatever type of activity you’re undertaking.

Don’t skip cooldown, either. Stretching out those muscles at the end of each workout is vital, and one of the best ways to do this is by doing one of the Mindful Cooldowns in Apple Fitness+. These short routines encourage you to stretch out while doing some mindful meditation that will ease you gently back into your day.

As to the best solution for avoiding injury during your workout, plenty of apps offer personalized training routines to suit your individual needs. One of the best is Gentler Streak, an app that helps to improve your fitness without overtraining. It will prompt you when it’s time for active recovery, so you can take a break without feeling guilty!

Download: Gentler Streak for iOS (Free, subscription available)

5. Problem: Weather

Wherever you’re located, there will always be some adverse weather conditions that make working out outdoors difficult or impractical. Instead of using it as an excuse to skip exercise altogether, try to develop a range of indoor strategies that will allow you to work out regardless of the weather.

There are thousands of YouTube workouts that you can draw on to practice all types of fitness activities. Alternatively, you could download apps that will lead you through exercises incorporating little or no equipment, such as these workout apps for small living spaces or yoga apps so you can exercise anywhere.

6. Problem: Lack of Skill

If you’ve been put off exercising by your lack of skills, plenty of activities don’t require specific skills, such as walking or jogging. And don’t be afraid to learn something new! Look up a local group or take an online class to develop your abilities in the privacy of your own home. Many of the best exercise apps contain beginners’ programs to ease you in.

One example is the comprehensive yoga training app Asana Rebel, which offers a personalized program of fitness and strength-based yoga routines that require no previous expertise, alongside impressive nutrition and fitness tracking facilities.

Download: Asana Rebel for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)

7. Problem: Lack of Money or Equipment

You don’t need expensive gym memberships to stay fit and active. Going for a walk outdoors is fantastic for both your physical and mental health and costs nothing. If you have a smartwatch or phone, use the built-in tech to track your movements.

For effective strength workouts, try calisthenics exercises that use your own body weight to build your muscles, using one of the numerous calisthenics apps to help you do effective training.

Many of the apps listed here are free, requiring a subscription only if you wish to upgrade to a premium version of the service. And YouTube, with its vast catalog of fitness videos, is free to use.

Use Tech to Help You Live a More Active Life

Although it's always possible to find reasons not to exercise, in the end, most issues can easily be overcome. With a little careful planning and scheduling, and using the wealth of excellent resources to hand, everyone can find some time for some form of exercise to suit them. You need to be active regularly for both your physical and mental health, and finding a new activity or developing a skill you enjoy is fantastic for your well-being.