Arise, Slug

One of the biggest struggles of my life has been motivating myself to exercise every day. I’m basically a lazy slug who can spend hours puttering around the house and/or sitting in front of my computer writing, reading or entertaining myself with the world-at-my-fingertips.

For years in my home in Milwaukee I had a quote taped to my front door that said: “A vigorous walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.” And for many of the 24 years I lived in Wisconsin I followed the advice of that quote. I walked. I walked nearly every Saturday morning for miles and miles with my friend Betsy. We solved our life problems and shared everything as we walked and talked. But doing that one day a week was certainly not enough.

I read a survey once that said the top five excuses Americans have for not exercising are:
1. They don’t have the time.
2. They don’t have the willpower.
3. They don’t feel like it.
4. A medical reason keeps them from exercising.
5. They don’t have enough energy.

Ha! I like that last one. If people only knew that exercise gives them more energy, perhaps they’d get off the sofa and begin.

Before you tape your favorite excuse to the front door, here are seven reasons most people do exercise regularly.
1. It makes them feel better physically and mentally.
2. It relaxes them.
3. They sleep better.
4. It improves their concentration, self-image, and their ability to cope with pressure and stress.
5. It makes them more productive at work.
6. It makes them more creative.
7. It gives them more energy.

So which list do you want to use as the backbone for your life? Next time you’re feeling like an exercise slug, take a deep breath, lace up those walking shoes and head out the door. Solving the struggle of how to motivate yourself to do it is not nearly as difficult as what happens to your mind and body if you don’t exercise at all.