I went for a run today and had an unexpected realization. Within 30 seconds of putting my headphones on, zipping up my hooded sweatshirt, and starting my stopwatch, I had a series of thoughts and flashbacks that stopped me in my tracks. For some odd reason, I was momentarily transported back in time to the summer that I spent at my grandmother’s house in Japan when I was 
eight years old. I suddenly remembered the voice that I heard over a megaphone every morning, announcing the daily exercises that would soon begin at the park. And then I remembered the steady stream of neighbors, young and old, stepping out of their little homes and walking toward the field. No one was wearing a stopwatch. No one was displaying strong, “go get ‘em” attitudes. This was just a way of life, and there was no competition or sense of urgency associated with participating in this routine. If you were well, you got yourself up out of bed and went to exercise with everyone else.
As I stood on the pavement in the present moment, I longed for that incredible feeling of wanting to exercise as a way of life, not as a means to an end. I just wanted to jog because it felt good. I didn’t want to look at my stopwatch. I didn’t care how quickly I could cover the same distance repeatedly.
We live in a culture of 30-day weight loss plans, 60-day intense training programs, road races, timed obstacle courses and 7-day jumpstart programs. All of these things are wonderful fitness tools, but maybe it would be enjoyable to just get back to the mindset of moving our bodies for the sake of wellness.
In this game called life, none of us are getting out alive. The goal is to make our time here on Earth healthy and enjoyable—to balance our life activities so that we spend the vast majority of our time LIVING rather than dying.
What’s the point of making exercise such a painful, dreadful experience? For most of us, the goal is not to become an elite level athlete. We just want to feel good, look good and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Can’t we just achieve all of that with moderation?
This week, I challenge you to approach your exercise routine with a different mindset. Exercise only because it feels good. When it stops feeling good, go do something else. Jog until it isn’t fun. When jogging isn’t fun anymore, grab a jump rope. When jumping rope isn’t fun, walk. When walking isn’t fun, go stretch, lift, tumble or balance. Do something! And do it only for as long as you perceive it to be fun. The second it stops being fun, it stops being sustainable. Practice moving for fun so that exercise can become a natural part of life. Remove the stress and the competition for one week, and see how you feel.