As a doctor, I can give you a lot of useful advice about how to get healthy and stay that way, but you don’t need me to tell you that exercise is good for you. Staying active can benefit the heart, the waistline, even the mind. 1[■] More than 60% of American adults don’t exercise regularly, and many say they don’t exercise at all. More than 72 million are overweight, and almost all of them would like to lose the extra pounds. So, if exercise is such a good idea, why don’t more people do it?
2[■] Even as I write this, I am watching my two-year-old run around in circles. Kids seem to be born in constant motion, but along the way that behavior changes.
The slowdown occurs for most at the beginning of college. Academic pressure and lack of organized sports are certainly part of the problem. A bigger part may be looking at life changes as an occasion to blow up old rules and not create new ones in their place. 3[■] The demands of a new job usually mean less time at the gym. How about a new marriage? How many times have we seen just-married couples looking a lot heavier in first-anniversary photos than they did in the wedding pictures?
4[■] People who set general goals, like “I will exercise in my free time,” did a far worse job of sticking to that plan than did people who made a firm commitment, like “I will walk to my friend’s house and back every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.”
The good news is, there are solutions to all these. We can begin with exercises as simple as remembering to sit straighter or drink enough water. Specific workout plans can turn a general desire to exercise into a firm commitment. 5[■]
We may never again have the energy of a two-year-old, but getting back even a little of our early-life energy can make our later lives a whole lot healthier.