Need Motivation to Get Moving?

Anne, St. Johnsbury, Vt.
Get a dog. I walk mine at least twice a day. When it comes to getting you out the door and walking, there's nothing more persuasive than a pair of big, brown doggy eyes.

Liz, White Plains, N.Y.
I work and don't have time to go to a gym or jog. For most of my adult life, that was my excuse for not exercising. But a few years ago, I made a fitness contract with myself: I want to watch my favorite nighttime TV show, I can only do so if I'm pedaling my exercise bike at the same time. By exercising and watching TV simultaneously, I have a 30-minute workout almost every day — and I'm a couch potato without being a couch potato.

Louisa, Miami, Fla.
I do tai chi, which is a common exercise among senior citizens in China. Tai chi is about movement, balance and flexibility. It doesn't require equipment or severe excursion. I can do tai chi at home or in my yard, and I can wear regular clothes. Tai chi is calming and meditative, but since I need to concentrate on the movements, which are like choreography, it's stimulating to my brain. I'm in my early 70s and I credit tai chi with keeping me fit, healthy and younger-looking and younger-feeling than most of my peers. I think tai chi is the perfect exercise for "age 50+" people.

Cindy, Alexandria, Va.
Exercise before work every morning. I go for a swim at the neighborhood YMCA, which is on my way to work and costs much less than a gym membership. I'm one of the first people there in the morning and it clears my head for the rest of the day.