Day 22: Exercise should be a four-letter word

The long road to physical fitness

Everyone knows that regular exercise is great for your heart, your bones and weight control. You would think that something so wonderful would be an integral part of every thinking person’s regime. But. For some reason there are more people who say that they should exercise more than there are those who say they exercise enough. Like dieting, exercise is one of those things we all want to do because we think it is good for us.  Yet the road to the gym is littered with quitters. What’s going on?

 Here’s my analysis. In Biblical times slaves built pyramids for the Pharaohs. The Pharaoh probably said something like, “Here is a great way for you to keep in shape. The exercise will improve your aerobic functioning and build muscle tone.” Of course, the slaves had no choice but to accept this decree. In today’s world we can substitute “personal trainer” for “Pharaoh.” The idea is the same. OK.  I can hear you saying, “Wait a minute! That’s not a fair comparison!” You are right.  The Pharaohs gave the slaves the opportunity to exercise and do weight training free of charge, while any decent personal trainer will charge you a fortune.

 Have I made it clear that I am not one of those people who get great pleasure from physically tormenting their bodies? Even in my younger days I was not particularly athletically motivated.  Now in my later years, you can be assured that my aversion to physical exercise has only grown.

 But, what choice do I have? I must find a way to get myself to the gym and stay motivated. I can spend hours on the internet playing word games. Why am I motivated to do that? To see if I can beat my previous score!  Maybe I can use the same psychology to motivate myself to exercise.  Maybe, for me, exercise should be a four letter word: game.

 Yesterday I went to the gym and was able to do 25 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes on the treadmill (3.0). Since the elliptical requires more effort, I am giving myself 3pts/ minute. The treadmill earns 1pt/minute @ 3.0 and increases to 2pts/minute @ 3.5 (if I ever make it that far).  So today’s score = 85.

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