BY JONATHAN DUFFY

HE MERE MENTION of the word "exercise" evokes different mental pictures for each of us. Some may think of former days of athletic glory, muscular bodies, or the ability to perform fantastic athletic feats. Others may believe that in order to be considered fit they must be able to perform 60 sit-ups within a minute or complete a half marathon. Still others may associate exercise with pain, torture, and aching muscles—something to be avoided at all costs. Their motto is "No pain, no gain."

The World Health Organization defines physical fitness in very functional terms: The ability for you to perform your normal daily tasks with vigor and alertness and without undue fatigue, with enough energy left in reserve to cope with any emergencies that may arise, or to follow the leisure pursuits of your choice.

This definition helps us to associate fitness less with physical coordination and more with our ability to cope with the demands of life and the enjoyment gained from living. When we are physically fit, we have more energy at the end of the day and can thus choose how we spend our leisure time rather than having it dictated by fatigue. Such energy helps us get through the first chapter, not just the first page, before that book falls on our face at night. It means that we have greater mental alertness as we participate in our evening devotions.

As fitness and health begin to deteriorate, it takes greater energy to perform our normal daily tasks. We begin to tire more quickly than in the past. By the end of the day we are mentally, physically, and spiritually exhausted.

All of this results in a decrease in our performance. We are less productive at work, and we come home physically and emotionally more exhausted. We feel we would like to be a better spouse, a better parent, a better Christian, but we seem to be too tired to do anything about it.

The reason so much medical emphasis is placed on exercise is that exercise is based on an overload principle—we stress the muscles, the heart, the vascular system, and in turn, they respond to the challenge and become more efficient. We're able to last longer at everyday tasks before we begin to feel fatigued.

Fitness isn't an insurance against tiredness, but when we are physically fit, we recover quicker. We perform tasks faster, with a greater degree of energy and mental clarity. Our overall efficiency is improved. We are more productive at work. On arriving home we have more physical and emotional energy to invest into our relationships and family. We are able to worship with greater clarity of mind.

Literally hundreds of modern research studies have shown that exercise is linked with a decrease in cardiovascular disease, a decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a greater ability to manage it if we do have it, improved posture, greater bone density, and lower risk of osteoporosis. The list goes on.*

Unfortunately, however, most Westerners have viewed exercise for a long time as a big white vitamin pill. Motivated by the desire to improve ourselves and do what is best for our bodies, we've tried numerous times to develop a regular exercise program. The psychological obstacle, however, is formidable: We are less motivated by what we should do than by what we want to do.

Some people in our society seem to live by a motto that declares, "I'm not here for a long time. I'm here for a good time." Exercise increases the likelihood that we will be here for a good long time—provided we remember simple rules taught by our parents such as "Look both ways before you cross the road!"

The most important component of an exercise program is to enjoy it. If we don't enjoy the activity, no matter how motivated we are, we are unlikely to continue with it. It's a good idea to add some variety to our exercise program. It's not necessary to walk around the same block every day. We should try different activities and develop some fun family activities on the weekend—a hike on a Sabbath afternoon, a ball game with the kids on Sunday, a bike ride, or a swim at the beach. These are all forms of moderate physical activity and therefore exercise. When exercise becomes fun, it becomes a lifestyle and ceases being just something that we ought to do.

In order for exercise to be of benefit, it must also be regular. Regular can mean many things. My birthday comes regularly, once a year. I attend church regularly, once a week. But when it comes to exercise, we should aim to exercise regularly between four and seven times per week, and at least every second day. If we can exercise every day, we'll experience important added benefits.

Our body also needs a rest sometimes. It's OK to have a rest day or possibly two in the week, but we should avoid taking them consecutively.

We'd all love to experience greater energy and cope better with our day, but we don't enjoy pain. So how long do these torture sessions have to last? For exercise to be beneficial, it should be accumulative. It's best to aim for 30 minutes of physical activity on most days. Even busy people can achieve 30 minutes a day. Exercising for longer periods on days when we have the opportunity provides even more benefits.

Exercise does not have to be continuous to be beneficial. It's OK to do two 15-minute sessions or three 10-minute sessions of activity. Short intervals of activity can be fit in as our day allows, particularly if we find it difficult to be able to slot the whole 30 minutes in one time period.

We can use our lunch hour as an opportunity to do exercise. We can switch off the pressures of work we've faced in the morning and start the afternoon with a clear head.

"But aren't you ignoring the big issue—pain?" someone asks. "Isn't it true that if there's no pain, there's no gain?" Not at all! We shouldn't experience pain in our exercise program. If we haven't exercised for some weeks or months, we may feel some muscle stiffness as we start our exercise program, but this should never be mistaken for pain. Pain indicates that we're doing damage to our body. When it occurs, we should back off.

A lot of different formulas are used to try to calculate the optimum level of intensity for exercise. Breathing is a good guide. Aerobic exercise is exercise that uses a combination of oxygen and food to produce energy. We often measure heart rates as a guide to how hard the body is working and how much extra requirement there is for circulation of blood. However, the blood's main function is to provide oxygen. Monitoring our breathing is an accurate measure to gauge the intensity of our exercise.

When we exercise, we should exercise to a level at which our breathing rate is mildly increased and we may gently pant but are still able to converse. If we exercise to a point at which we are so breathless that it is difficult to gasp out more than the odd monosyllable word, then we are overexercising. If we can talk and carry on a normal conversation, we ought to increase the intensity of the exercise.

In summary, we should choose a variety of activities that we enjoy, and participate in them on a regular basis of four to seven times per week for 30 minutes at a level at which we gently puff but are still able to talk.

Of course, we can make exercise much more complicated than this. We could pay a lot of money to join a gym or to wear the right clothes. But the simple formula is just that—simple! Let's get out, do it, have fun, enjoy life—and feel better for it.

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*S. N. Blair, Y. Chengy, and J. S. Holder, "Is physical activity or physical fitness more important in defining health benefits?" Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 33 (6 Suppl.) (2001): S379-S399, S419, S420.

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Jonathan Duffy is the director of health ministries for the South Pacific Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He writes from Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia.