Can't Stand Exercise?

Liz Brody

"I'd rather go though menopause again than work out," Joy Behar told a panel of heart doctors at a small gathering I happened to be at. When everyone chuckled, the TV talk-show host quipped, "How many calories does that burn?"

She may have been going for a laugh, but she wasn't exactly joking.

Nor was singer and reality TV weight-loser, Carnie Wilson, when she spoke to People magazine earlier this year. "I loathe it!" she said of exercise. "When we were out today, I said, 'God, it's a gorgeous day.' And what did I think? I just want a big tub of buttered popcorn and I want to lie on the couch and watch a movie... not, 'It's a lovely day, let's go for a jog!' Maybe Renée Zellweger would, but not me."

For some lucky souls (Renée apparently being one of them), exercise is like Prozac in motion . It rings up such a mood ka-ching, they can't wait for the next sweaty hit. But for most people, there are a million things they'd rather do. And clearly, they go ahead and do those other things, because according to the latest CDC report, nearly two-thirds of Americans don't get enough physical activity.

Even someone like Wilson, with her trainer, nutritionist-and a show earlier this year, "Unstapled," that meant millions of eyes were riveted on every pixel of poundage she gained or lost-hasn't found the love. "When I hear people say, 'You have to do this,' I become resistant," she told Dr. Oz on one episode. (He is helping her too!) "I don't like to be told what to do."

She makes a point. Just to whip through what we've heard umpteen times, the expertise on motivation boils down to Ten Commandments:

1) Find some kind of movement you love. 2) Work out with a buddy. 3) Get it over with in the morning. 4) Train for a goal. 5) Give yourself rewards. 6) Pay (a lot) for a (very hot) trainer. 7) If you can't do an hour, do 10 minutes. 8) You can always walk. 9) Chart your progress. 10) Exercise for yourself, not someone else.

OK, back up for a minute. I think No. 10, "do it for you," is what's doing us in. Putting ourselves first is notoriously difficult for women. For many of us, it's just not going to happen anytime soon. But give us a crying baby or an oil-drenched sea bird? We're there-sweat, muscle cramps, and all.

So, here's the idea-and note, we're not telling you to do anything, just suggesting: What if you forget your body, and work out entirely for someone else? For example...

Donate your extra fat: You can find great programs that get you moving for a cause, like Team in Training, which coaches people all across the country to walk, run, bike, and hike to raise money for leukemia and lymphoma. You can also climb a mountain to fight breast cancer, or run for the women of Congo. And check out + 3 Network where you can turn all kinds of routine activity into dollars for various nonprofits.

Get your kids healthy: Maybe you want to keep it simpler? If you have young children, especially girls, think about their future. What better role model than a mother or aunt who works out with them? According to Tara Parker-Pope of the New York Times, girls' participation in sports is associated with a 7 percent lower risk of obesity in adulthood, higher rates of education, and better employment.

Form a calorie charity: Get together with a few friends and make up your own weight-loss giving circle. You could agree that for every mile you collectively walk, or pound you drop, members pitch in a dollar, and when you get to a certain figure, you all decide where to donate the money. Or go solo, and for every candy bar and soda you pass up, dump the change into a kitty that's bound for a cause you're passionate about.


If you end up running a 10K or joining a bike group, or discovering that-who knew?-you actually like to exercise, all the better.


What do you think?




For more workout mojo ....

The 6 Keys to Winning at Weight Loss
10 Steps to Get off of the Couch
Motivational Tips from the Biggest Loser's Trainer


[Photo Credit: Getty Images/George Doyle]