The Cheat's Guide to Exercise

Yes, I can see you: doing those stomach crunches at an aerobics class, pounding the treadmill in the gym as you eye up the next torture, sorry, next piece of equipment, setting off on a half hour jog around the park with your cardio-vascular monitor strapped to your arm, phoning up your friends to arrange a doubles tennis match … 

No? But we all know the benefits of regular exercise. We know that if we exercise regularly we are less likely to develop illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, bowel cancer, breast cancer and osteoporosis. We know that exercise will help us lose weight. We know that exercise will make us feel better. We know that regular exercise will help us live longer. We know. We know. We know. 

So why, for some of us, is it SO VERY DIFFICULT! 

It’s easy to find reasons for not exercising. How on earth do you to find the time to exercise when you hardly have time to draw breath? You’d rather die than exhibit your less-than-perfect body by exercising in public. You can hardly afford to pay for little Kellie-Ann's dance classes, let alone fork out hundreds of dollars to join a gym. 

But there is some good news on the exercise front. Short bursts of exercise, as little as three 10-minute sessions a day on five days a week, help prevent heart disease. Studies show that short bursts of exercise help lower fats in the blood after eating a fatty meal. These findings should be just the motivation for exercise-phobic people to get moving. But a word of warning, a leisurely stroll doesn't count; your exercise must make your heart rate increase, get you warm, mildly out of breath, and mildly sweaty. 

So sling that unused lycra aerobics jump suit you bought in 1982 into the bin, put your gym fees into buying a Fendi handbag – and get moving in your own way.