What is your idea of a good time? For some, it might be a movie marathon and a tub of ice cream. For others, a walk or run will fit the bill. The issue in the fitness world is that people struggle to relate to others’ preferences.

For various reasons, fitness professionals tend to be leaner and more athletic. Their first bite of the exercise apple probably tasted phenomenal and, having found they were rather good at it, they’ve kept the habit going ever since. This is partly why avid exercisers can’t understand why people resist the thing that brings them so much joy.

Less active people, on the other hand, might have horrible early experiences with exercise – especially compared to a more relaxed activity they’ve enjoyed for years, such as watching TV, scrolling social media or listening to music.

Therein lies the problem. We all know exercise is good for us, but it’s hard to encourage someone to do something they don’t enjoy, especially when there are more appealing alternatives at our fingertips thanks to our phones.

In this week’s newsletter, we’re going to try to solve this.

Can exercise really be enjoyable for everyone?

I recently interviewed David Keohan, a 47-year-old father-of-three from Waterford in Ireland. Boozing through his 20s left him obese and feeling depressed, so at 32 he decided to make a change and headed to a sports shop to buy a pair of trainers.

“I remember the young fella working there laughing and going, ‘Are you sure, man?’” Keohan tells me with a characteristic giggle. Undeterred by the shop assistant’s lack of faith, he started running. Then he started swinging kettlebells. Then, during Covid lockdowns, he began lifting boulders in his back garden (which eventually led to him unearthing an entire lost culture around Irish stone lifting, but that’s another story).

“I got bitten by the bug of feeling good,” Keohan says. “Before, I never knew what feeling good felt like, if that makes any sense? But once you start to feel good, it’s amazing, and you realise how bad you felt for the last 10 years.”

This reinforces my belief that movement can be enjoyable for all. But the form you enjoy might exist outside the classic PE curriculum of football, rugby, cricket and athletics – the sports that likely shaped your early encounters with exercise.

The trick to making exercise more appealing

Finding a fun form of exercise can be tricky, and trial and error is key. But it’s still hard to motivate yourself to get started. For this, I have some tips.

From what I’ve learned as a coach, the human brain is fairly transactional. If we are going to do something, there has to be a worthwhile reward. We go to work so we get paid; we buy a meal out knowing it will taste great; you’re reading this newsletter hoping for actionable health tips, and hopefully I’ve held up my end of the bargain.

To make movement feel worthwhile, we have to up the value of exercise by making it easy (there are tips for making movement more accessible here), enjoyable and appealing. A big part of the latter is understanding the benefits.

A 10-minute walk, or even a few bodyweight squats, after a meal can help your body regulate blood sugar better. This can protect you from diabetes and shield you from the symptoms of metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, wider waist circumference and raised cholesterol) as you age.

Research from 2025 suggests adding just half a serving of vegetables, 96 seconds of exercise and 15 minutes of sleep to each day could add years to your life in some cases.

Simply standing up every now and then during long bouts of sitting can reduce your risk of heart disease, while countless studies have reinforced exercise’s ability to boost your mood.

And this list doesn’t even touch on the muscle and mobility gains that come from strength training. These perks allow you to say yes to any active opportunity that arises in life, whether that’s playing with your kids, swimming in the sea or exploring while on holiday.

The sum of these parts is that any exercise you are able to do, especially if you were not doing it before, will likely leave your body in a far better place, inside and out. Many of the benefits on offer will also last for decades.

If this knowledge gets you through the door of your nearest gym, class or club, and you are able to find a form of exercise you enjoy – be that dance, surfing, Nordic walking or otherwise – then the pay-off for your health will be enormous.

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