Lexington, KY - I am well aware of the fact that most people do not love to exercise. In fact, many loathe the very topic of exercise; many see exercise as a silly activity engaged in by people with too much time, money or ego on their hands. The self-rationalizing comment I often hear from those squarely in the non-exercising camp is, "What's the point?" That statement is then followed by a variety of reasons, such as "We are all going to die anyway," or "I don't care what I look like in a bathing suit anymore."
It's hard for me to believe that there are so many that still think this way. I guess it is my own little crusade to do what I can to try and persuade all of you non-exercisers, intermittent exercisers and even the reluctant regulars to truly believe that there is a point to it, and understand more clearly what that point is and how it applies to your life.
I have always been a firm believer that education and awareness are the keys to changing any behavior. If you do not understand the point of exercise then the likelihood of you doing it on a regular basis is unlikely.
I understand that most of you reading this article do put some value in regular exercise. Even if you are one of the "what's the point" crowd, down deep I believe you are aware that exercise is a good thing. The problem is moving the external knowledge of the value of exercise to an internal personal value. Unless you make exercise part of your basic value system, it will be very difficult to find the motivation to make it an integral part of your life. In other words, you have to see the point to it all.
So, what is the point we are talking about? I thought you would never ask. The point, my friends, is that exercise opens the door to the one thing that all humans fight for in our lives: control.
It is a basic drive in all humans to gain control in our lives. Anxiety in our lives comes from the fear of not knowing - not knowing if we are going to keep our job; not knowing if we are going to have enough money to retire. The lack of complete control over the future of our lives is something we all share. However, you can diminish your fears and anxieties about life and gain control in some very important areas of your life, if you are willing to put in the effort.
For example, we know that if you actively save for retirement and make a solid plan with a qualified financial planner you won't have to worry as much about your financial future. Even with the economic disaster we are currently facing, a good plan may have to be tweaked, but it will not be upended completely. By seeing the value in approaching your retirement in a well-planned way, you have gained control over your financial future.
What about the future of your day-to-day life? What about your ability to stay independent as you age? What about avoiding all the chronic, deadly diseases that are out there? Could exercise be the magic bullet that can help you gain control over all of these issues? The answer, resoundingly, is yes.
The reality is that you can remove much of the fear and anxiety of the aging process by making regular exercise a permanent part of your value system. You can dramatically increase your chances of maintaining your quality of life, your independence and your participation in life through a regular exercise program. You can dramatically decrease your chance of contracting a life threatening chronic disease, becoming dependant on others and losing control over your day-to-day life, through a regular exercise program.
That's the point - keeping your quality of life as high as you possibly can, keeping the highest level of control as you possibly can. Don't miss out. Don't have unnecessary anxiety about the future of your health and well-being. Don't worry if you will be able to care for yourself and keep your independence as you age. Recognize the value, see the point and get started.