What Needs to Change in 2025 for Fitness to Become Accessible for All?
As we step into 2025, fitness remains inaccessible to many, particularly disabled individuals and those living with chronic health conditions. Despite growing awareness of the benefits of exercise, the healthcare system in the UK often undermines the role of fitness in favor of medication.
This reliance on medication, while sometimes necessary, frequently masks the root causes of health problems rather than addressing them. As a fitness coach managing paroxysmal non-kinesigenic dyskinesia (PNKD), I’ve experienced firsthand how this cycle leaves people feeling stuck and disempowered.
To change this narrative, we must rethink our approach to fitness and healthcare.
The Accessibility Gap in Fitness
In the UK, nearly 14.6 million people live with a disability, and Sport England reports that disabled individuals are twice as likely to be physically inactive compared to their non-disabled counterparts. Barriers such as inaccessible gyms, lack of knowledgeable trainers, and financial constraints discourage participation.
For individuals with disabilities like mine, the challenge isn’t just physical. Managing conditions like PNKD involves mitigating triggers such as stress, temperature changes, and dietary factors — all of which can make traditional fitness environments unsuitable. Despite these challenges, many disabled individuals, including myself, seek solutions that go beyond merely treating symptoms. Unfortunately, the current healthcare system often prioritizes medication over meaningful lifestyle changes like exercise.
The Problem with the Medication Cycle
The UK healthcare system has become overly reliant on medication as the default solution for chronic conditions. While medication is vital for many, it is often used as a temporary fix rather than a long-term solution. For example:
Masking Symptoms: Medications like painkillers or antidepressants often mask symptoms rather than addressing their root causes. For instance, a person with chronic back pain may be prescribed opioids instead of receiving guidance on strengthening exercises to alleviate the underlying issue.
Side Effects: Medications can come with a host of side effects, including fatigue, weight gain, or even mental health challenges. These side effects can further discourage individuals from pursuing physical activity, creating a vicious cycle of dependency.
Cost to the NHS: The NHS spends £17 billion annually on prescription medications, much of which goes toward managing preventable conditions like type 2 diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Investing even a fraction of this budget in preventative fitness programs could yield far better outcomes.
In my own journey, I’ve seen how quick fixes in the form of medication fail to provide sustainable relief. For instance, I was offered medications to manage my PNKD episodes, but they came with debilitating side effects like muscle weakness and brain fog, which hindered my ability to exercise. What ultimately helped me was adapting my lifestyle — through condition-specific training, nutrition, and stress management.
How Medication Fails as a Standalone Solution
1. Overlooking Root Causes
Many chronic conditions, such as obesity or type 2 diabetes, are lifestyle-related. Medication may control symptoms, but it doesn’t address the root causes like poor diet, sedentary behavior, or high stress levels. For example, metformin, a common drug for diabetes, regulates blood sugar but doesn’t educate the patient on how to improve their insulin sensitivity through exercise.
2. Disempowering Patients
Relying solely on medication can make patients feel passive in their health journey. Fitness, on the other hand, empowers individuals to take control. Studies show that regular exercise improves not only physical health but also mental resilience, giving individuals a sense of autonomy over their well-being.
3. Creating Long-Term Dependency
Medications can foster dependency, both physically and psychologically. This is particularly problematic when conditions could be managed — or even reversed — through lifestyle changes. For example, a study published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that exercise is as effective as antidepressants for managing mild to moderate depression, yet medication remains the go-to option.
What Needs to Change in 2025?
1. Healthcare Providers Must Champion Fitness
Care providers must see fitness as a cornerstone of health, not a complementary afterthought. They need to:
Collaborate with fitness professionals to develop condition-specific programs.
Educate patients on the long-term benefits of exercise over medication.
Offer “exercise prescriptions” as a standard part of treatment plans, as seen in countries like New Zealand.
2. Make Fitness Accessible for All
The fitness industry must do better to accommodate diverse needs:
Gyms should invest in adaptive equipment and staff training to support disabled individuals.
Financial barriers must be addressed through subsidies or discounts for those on low incomes or with chronic conditions.
Online platforms like NMCOACHING can serve as a model, offering personalized, accessible fitness programs for disabled individuals and busy professionals.
3. Integrate Fitness into Preventative Care
Preventative care must shift its focus from reactive treatments to proactive interventions. For instance:
Local councils could partner with fitness professionals to create subsidized community exercise programs.
Employers could offer fitness incentives as part of workplace wellness initiatives.
Fitness as Medicine: A Case for Change
Research consistently shows that fitness is one of the most effective “medicines” available:
Exercise can reduce the risk of chronic disease by up to 50%.
Physical activity decreases the likelihood of depression by 30%.
Regular movement improves joint mobility, reduces pain, and enhances overall quality of life for disabled individuals.
For those like me who live with a disability, fitness is more than just a physical activity — it’s a lifeline. My personal experience adapting training around my PNKD triggers has proven that the right program can dramatically improve both physical and mental health.
How You Can Take Action Today
Ask for Alternatives: If you’re prescribed medication, inquire about fitness-based solutions to complement or replace it.
Find the Right Support: Work with inclusive trainers who understand your condition and can guide you toward sustainable results.
Share Your Story: By speaking up about the limitations of the current system, you can inspire others to seek better solutions.
Looking Ahead
The path to making fitness accessible and reducing dependency on medication isn’t easy, but it’s necessary. By reimagining healthcare, empowering individuals, and investing in inclusive fitness initiatives, we can create a society where everyone — regardless of ability — has the tools to lead a healthier life.
At NMCOACHING, we believe in a future where fitness isn’t a privilege but a right. If you’re ready to take charge of your health, comment ‘interested’ below and let’s start this journey together. Together, we can make 2025 the year of transformation.
