Why Exercise Programs Don't Work

The vast majority of people who start exercise programs do not stick with them. Health clubs make a lot of money selling yearlong memberships to men and women who make resolutions to get into shape. Most of them will stop using the club’s facilities after a few months. Others buy expensive indoor equipment – stationary bicycles, rowing machines, weights, and the like – only to have them gather dust in the garage following an initial period of enthusiastic use.

These common patterns of behavior are like dieting to lose weight. You cannot get down to your ideal weight and stay there by making resolutions to diet, going on the latest fad diet, joining a diet center, or buying pills and drinks that promise magical results. You can do it only by changing your ways of eating permanently, by building up good, sensible food habits that you can stick with for the rest of your life.

In the same way you will improve physical fitness by developing good, sensible habits of healthy exercise that you can stick with for the rest of your life.

Read more articles on healthy exercise tips from Dr. Weil.