don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

"We sit at breakfast, we sit on the train on the way to work, we sit at work, we sit at lunch, we sit all afternoon, a hodgepodge of sagging livers, sinking gall bladders, drooping stomachs, compressed intestines, and squashed pelvic organs."   ~John Button, Jr.

The other day, a visitor to SeekWellness lamented the fact that it's hard to find time to exercise and that, for most people, it's just too easy to find excuses NOT to do it. Here is how the visitor, Tom Lesondak, described the problem:

Hi Don - I like the fact that you incorporate wellness as a way of life. Some people, I think, view wellness as something they can only achieve if they do what they really don't want to do, such as working out, along with other extra things, every day. What you say, however, is that wellness is more of a way of life, not a chore, not something above and beyond what a person does. Where I live (Michigan), not many people work out, at least not compared to other states. This is unfortunate. Wellness should not be seen as something we have to go and do. Far better if wellness is seen as part of daily life, encompassing physical as well as mental and social well-being. I do have a question, though. How do you stay motivated? How do YOU, Don, remain in shape all the time? Is exercise just another part of the day for you? How do you view it? It seems like the best way is to view exercise as something you just do, on a daily basis. Not something extra that a person does, at least that has been how I have tried to view it. It doesn't always work though. I seem to come up with excuses like "Well, I got a really good workout yesterday so I can sleep in today!" I hate when I give into that mentality!

The sentiments expressed by Tom are common. Everyone knows exercise is desirable, good for you, part of a healthy lifestyle and necessary to reduce the risks of illness and promote the benefits of optimal living. One of the most concise and persuasive summaries of the benefits of exercise appeared recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, December 21, 2005-Vol 294, No. 23, p.3048). Entitled "Fitness," the single page described what fitness is, its benefits, ways to become fit and nine simple things anyone can do to incorporate movement into the day. This page is available in English and Spanish from the CDC (800/458-5231) or from the JAMA website or the website of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. 
 
My response to Tom noted that, just as wellness is, under the best circumstances, a way of life--something done daily just like dining and working and sleeping and so on, so too is exercise (which, of course, is part of that wellness lifestyle). I explained that as a competitive athlete, exercise is part of my day (training), necessary for what I do on weekends, namely, race. That is a strong reinforcement, a payday of sorts that comes up regularly and to which I look forward. It also makes it highly unlikely that I will not make exercise a part of my day during the week, since such a "dereliction of duty" will catch up with me within days. For the non-athlete, the lag time between failure to exercise and adverse consequences (for example, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and so on) could be years away. 
 
That's why I don't come up with excuses. When exercise is just something you do because you know it's good for you, well, then it's too easy to rationalize it away, put it off for another day. 
 
To make exercise a priority in your life, consider becoming an athlete, no matter your age or physical condition or athletic ability (or lack thereof). Find a sport wherein you can compete on weekends, though not necessarily every weekend, and find a way to excel at it. I excel by always trying to win my division. Know what my division is? It's the master male category for wellness promoters who are sixty years or over, live in Florida, weigh less than 200 pounds and stand six feet or more with blue eyes who are right-handed and who once had blond, curly hair. If you put yourself in the right division, YOU can win, too.  The great Ashleigh Brilliant captured this idea, as well, in a "Potshot" with this epigram: "To be the best, be the only one in your group." 
 
And if choosing a sport in which you can win YOUR division on weekends enables you to sustain your good intentions of working out (exercising) every weekday, well, then you are guaranteed to be a winner in an more important sense. You will win at the challenge of making wellness your lifestyle. You will win at maintaining a marvelous wellness way of living all the rest of your years. Doing that will make you a real champion at something that really matters.
 
All the best. Be well and always look on the bright side of life.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the PHYSICAL DOMAIN under the skill area of exercise and fitness. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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