Whether you’ve been sedentary lately or have fallen off the exercise wagon during the yuletide rush, there’s no better time then right now to put down the remote and get up off the couch and get active.

It’s not that difficult, it’s just a remote, right? Well, easier said than done. That remote seems harder to let go of with so many programs on TV today.

How often have you been flipping the channels and seen an exercise infomercial? You know, the one where everybody is holding up a pair of their old pants and it looks like they could fit another person inside because they lost so much weight.

It is easy to watch and say, “Wow, that’s unbelievable” or “Imagine if I could do that.” It is amazing how easy they make it seem. It almost has you with your phone in hand believing that for only $19.99 you can look like them in 6 weeks by using some contraption that will fold away under your bed and probably stay there until someone trips over it during the night six months from now.

Unfortunately, advertisers don’t show the reality of your life and how little time you have in between making breakfast for the family, taking care of your pets, packing lunch for the kids, preparing for a work presentation, attending a luncheon with a prospective client, working straight through the day without a break and rushing home to whip up a three course dinner while juggling who to take to practice or pick up first. How in the world can you even begin to think about finding time for yourself? It’s almost impossible to imagine how great it would feel to take 30 minutes out of your busy day to spend on “you.” If you could only find someone to make dinner, run your errands, watch the children or answer your next five phone calls, then maybe you would actually not feel guilty spending a little time on yourself.

But why don’t you take that time for you?

Maybe trying to find time to schedule is why most people wait all year to start fresh Jan. 1 with their exercise program. Not to mention, if you wait until the holidays are over to focus on being healthy, there won’t be any guilty feelings from grandma for passing on her famous stuffing with gravy or decadent chocolate pie.

However, maybe there is a way to have the best of both worlds. After all, starving yourself into shape is not healthy either. You don’t need to endure pain, suffering or sacrifice to be healthy. On the contrary, it isn’t a piece of cake either. (No pun intended!)

Obviously your health is important and, no matter how busy your daily life, it shouldn’t be overlooked. Exercise should be something you include in your schedule while making it part of your routine. This enables you to establish consistency and see results. You don’t need to block out an excessive amount of time. Try and squeeze it in where you feel comfortable. Begin once or twice a week for 20-30 minutes.

However you manage to find the time, please take note the other reasons to incorporate exercise in your life. It’s not only because of the physical benefits, there are other areas in your life to which it can provide value that are too often ignored. Some results you can’t see in the mirror or on a scale.

Being in the health and fitness industry as a health-club operator, it is uplifting to see that many people have discovered these additional benefits of exercise. For example, it provides you an opportunity to relieve the stress you have encountered during your day and can re-charge your battery with a renewed sense of energy and clarity. Those who incorporate even a light exercise program in their schedule reap a sense of increased confidence. This is evident from how they feel and not just because they look better.

Exercising allows you to set goals and feel like you accomplish something every time you engage in it. Imagine how great you would feel to wake up, walk for a little while and be able to say you did something good for yourself. You can get a positive feeling through some of the smallest achievements. The increase in your flexibility and stamina from exercise can increase your quality of life as well.

For example, there are members of our health club who have personal goals such as being able to throw a ball with their son, or to walk up a flight of stairs to their daughter’s dance recital without getting winded. No matter what the motivator, there are obviously many reasons to exercise.

Being active is something you most likely are accustomed to, but being “heart-rate active” can only be achieved by exercising. So, don’t fool yourself just because you’re always on the go. Remember, exercise is different. It’s easy to say at the end of the day, “I just don’t have time to exercise” or “Maybe tomorrow I’ll start,” but that’s not going to help you. Let today be the day that you put down the remote and decide to start exercising?maybe you’ll decide to begin with just a 20-minute walk, whether it’s through the neighborhood with your dog or at the health club on a treadmill.

Strive to achieve better health by making a personal commitment today to include regular exercise in your life forever?your body and mind will reward you for it.

? Aaron Kirchner, CPT, Sports Nutrition, Senior Population & Post Secondary Rehab Specialist, is the area director/G.M. of Murfreesboro Athletic Club

akirchner@athleticclubs.org