My Love-Hate Affair with Exercise

As I worked out this morning in our basement “gym”, I reflected that I have had a lifelong love-hate affair with exercise, mostly hating doing it but loving those friggin’ endorphins that it releases.

I have a distinct memory of dreading going back to school in the 7th grade because we had to pass the President’s physical fitness test to get an “A” in physical education class and I really sucked at things like situps. That “B” was the only blotch on my otherwise perfect junior high school record.

I’ve always loved riding my bicycle and even playing golf, but the gym-oriented forms of exercise and running were never things I was just dying to do.

But it turns out that my body was dying just a little at a time from not doing any of those types of exercise. So about 2 years ago, I met a really cute talented personal trainer Brian at an open house at my yoga studio. Brian helped us set up a home gym and prescribed a program that was not so ambitious that we would never do it. He came over once or twice a week until we knew what we were doing. I was so committed to this while Brian was in the picture.

That original exercise plan has morphed somewhat as I started doing pilates, but it still takes place in my basement when I do it. But therein lies the problem. It takes about an hour to do the whole thing, including 15 minutes on the elliptical machine. There are many mornings when I just don’t have an hour and I know by now that I will never do the whole thing after work.

Exercise is increasingly important to me because it makes me feel better and it helps me not gain weight. So I simply must figure out a way to make my exercise program a habit and not the object of an excuse.

What about those of you who go to the gym religiously – what is your motivation? Are you addicted to exercise? Convinced that you will be fat if you don’t exercise? In search of meeting your next date? Or like me just trying to stave off atrophy?