Thoughts on Exercise

I have a confession to make here-

I find it extremely difficult to adhere

To any form of exercise consistently

Working out is just not my cup of tea

I would rather sit somewhere, read or write

Than my body’s aversion to exercise fight

*

But being a cardiologist implies that I must give

Advice on physical activity to my patients to help them live

As long and as well as they can, and I feel a moral obligation

To walk the walk and talk the talk, so I try to follow my recommendations

And exercise just enough in order to stay

Within the limits of what the guidelines say

*

All these years, what was promoted was aerobic exercise

It took me years, but to my surprise

Now I actually want to jog on my treadmill most days

But recent evidence suggests that resistance training pays

Higher dividends compared to aerobic exercise alone

I feel almost cheated- just when I was learning to exercise, research has shown

That what I have been doing is not good enough

Learning resistance training (lifting weights) would surely be tough

*

The shifting standards in exercise disheartening appear

And I would never be able to catch up to them, I fear..