Updated June 08, 2015.

I'm willing to bet that there are more people who hate to exercise than there are people who love it. "I'm too busy." "I can't afford a gym." "I hate to sweat." "I just don't wanna." Let the whining begin. Let there be as much drama as we can stand about the unfairness of life. Get it all out in the open. And when it's all said and done, realize that we still have to roll off the couch and move, so we might as well get it over with.

To tell the truth, I am the biggest exercise shirker in the world. And no one would disagree with me. I have a sister who's a marathon runner. "Come on," she says. "Come running with me, you'll love it."

"I'd rather stick spoons in my eyes," I answer.

I have another sister who loves to go the YMCA. It's inexpensive, it's got all the right equipment -- what's not to love? She'll text me a single letter on my cell phone. "Y?" This means she'd like me to join her for two hours of crazy, sweaty fun at the Y. "Why?" I text back. This makes her grumpy.

Do I have a bad attitude? Am I lazy? You betcha.

But, you know what? Deep down I know that exercise is good for me. Now that my fasting blood glucose has hit 126 mg/dl, I know I'm heading for trouble if I don't change my hedonistic ways. I need to break out a pair of sneakers and break into a sweat. And I need to do it now.

It doesn't matter that I hit the big 5-0 and feel older than ever. Everyone needs to exercise to be healthy. But I don't have to follow the crowd.

I can come up with my own ways to exercise. I'll probably never run with my sister. I'll probably never log hours on a treadmill or stationary bike. I'll follow my own path -- literally.

I need to sit down (of course) and think of what I used to like when I was younger. I remember that I loved to be in the woods, breathing in the fresh pine air. So, I'll hike. That's exercise.
I love martial arts movies. I'll take a little Tai Chi and channel some Jackie Chan. I love lying in a horizontal position, so yoga seems like something I might enjoy.
It's all about finding the things that we like to do. That's what gets me to click the "off" button on the remote and actually stand up and walk across the room to put on my sneakers.

Exercise has to seem like fun and it has to seem like my own idea. If I feel like someone is telling me I have to do it, I probably won't. But if I build my exercise to connect with the things I already love, I just might succeed at having a healthy lifestyle. At the very least, I'll be giving my couch a break.

*Both yoga and tai chi classes are offered in many communities as well as at many local YMCA's.