You know you have to do it. Like brushing your teeth. Like eating your vegetables. Still, it’s something you’re not too enthusiastic about. I mean, who wants to go and grunt through a bunch of weights, or go around in circles on a track, or run on a virtual hamster wheel at a gym when you look like a common mortal and they look like Adonis?

Exercise has many benefits. You’ve read it all before. Among other things, it helps you sleep sounder, concentrate better, and increase your libido. If you’re prone to depression, exercise can help alleviate it. It helps to reduce your weight, thus keeping the dreaded heart disease, adult-onset diabetes and some forms of cancer at bay.

The National Institutes for Health (NIH), the government agency responsible for much of the research on health and illness in the United States, advocates doing gentle activity for about an hour, two to three times a week, or something more strenuous for 20 to 30 minutes, two or three times a week. Even the most time-pressed person can find time enough to watch a sit-com a day. That’s the minimum amount of time you have to devote to it. And the best thing is if you can’t do it all at once, you can break it up into 10- or 15-minute increments.

But it’s boring, you say. I’m so out of shape. I’m too old. I’m just too busy.

Men have a biological advantage, when it comes to weight loss, compared to women. Muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in the body. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate, and the quicker you lose weight. Men have a higher muscle mass than women do, and can, with little effort, make a big difference to their bodies.

Conversely, men also have a biological disadvantage when it comes to obesity-related diseases â€" they are more vulnerable to heart disease, high blood pressure and strokes, based on where they tend to gain weight â€" that spare tire you might be sporting and occasionally sucking in, depending on who is watching you, has the ability to end your life.

I know that younger men take a different approach to exercise â€" either it’s everything or nothing, and that it can’t possibly be exercise if all you do is fun stuff. There is a mistaken notion that exercise can only do good if you suffer terrible pain, or if it takes the better part of a day to complete. I used to watch my dad and my brother work out â€" guess who used to exercise until he dropped from exhaustion, then spent two weeks recovering from the injury he suffered because he overdid it?

For anyone, if exercising is not enjoyable and capable of making you feel better, it will be harder to be motivated to continue. That being the case, let’s explore ways to make this vital part of life interesting enough to do.

It’s boring!
One of the more common complaints about exercise is that it is boring. Suppose you do something you enjoy? How about playing ball with a friend or young relative? Activity becomes easier, as with anything, if it is shared among others.

Andrew Smith said one thing about exercise he hates is that it is so repetitive.
“I hate to go to gyms and exercise that way because it gets you nowhere, and you get nothing. I would far rather cycle a distance, or wander around town with great music, than to get stuck in a gym.�

Any activity that involves some movement can be taken as exercise. That includes washing and detailing a car, building something in the shop, or if you’re so inclined, taking your dog or borrowing someone else’s and going out to play ball in the park.

What if you’re not into those sorts of things? How about trying out a climbing wall at a community center, or going for a swim at the pool or beach? The quality of the activity, and the effort it takes to do it, is key here. It doesn’t matter that you can only go half way up the wall, or only do a length or two at the pool to begin with. Over time, it gets better and easier.

I’m so out of shape!

It is illogical to believe that in order to get into shape, or to get healthier, you must be in shape to begin with. According to statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control and the National Center for Vital Statistics, men are more likely to be overweight than women are, with 63% of men being overweight compared to 49% of women. It is easy to believe, if you go to a gym or other fitness-oriented place, that in order to participate, you have to look like someone who has been going for a long time.

The whole reason behind exercising, or even moving, is to get in shape and get healthier. If you are not able to do much, do what you can do, even if it seems silly at the time to do so. According to the pamphlet published by National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases called Active At Any Size, starting off by doing even five minutes of activity, even if it is walking around the house, going down for a newspaper, or any activity that requires effort, will begin to change your body and its functions for the better.

I’m too old.

A common fallacy among guys is that once you hit a certain age, such as just after you have married, or when you get a “real� job or when you first start having kids, you become too old to do stuff you used to enjoy. I can unreservedly say that it is never too late to have a happy childhood, and if rollerblading has always been a passion, don’t let the guise of being a responsible adult, no matter what your age, stop you from doing so. In the same vein, if playing a pick-up game of basketball used to make you happy, keep doing so. Pretending to be a boxer, or flying a kite or even climbing trees can be of some benefit. Be creative. Research has shown that regular movement, exercise, activity or whatever you wish to call it, helps to stave off the effects of age.

I’m too busy.

Sometimes, you can exercise without doing much but changing your routines. For example, park your car a little further away from entrances of buildings, such as malls or work. Going upstairs is hard work, but coming down them can be just as beneficial. If you usually take the elevator up to your office or your home, try walking up a flight of stairs, and walking down as many flights as you can. Walk to the corner store for the newspaper, instead of driving. If you use public transport, such as the bus, train or tram, try getting off one stop before your stop, if feasible. I know it sounds too simple to work, but the proof is in how you feel after you have implement these little changes.

I will leave you with this thought â€" we each are blessed with a temple in which to praise God. Make sure yours is in good enough condition to do so for the rest of your days. Here’s to your health.

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