Arranged Marriage

I have friends who are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary. They met hours before their wedding 35 years ago. Since my husband and I met in the traditional Western "boy meets girl" way, I was a bit taken aback to meet someone who actually had an arranged marriage. After getting to know them, though, I realized that for them and hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of others, it worked: Marriage is a choice, a structure, a plan, a way of life--not just a romantic conclusion to courtship. And since they've got more than 35 years together and three lovely daughters, I can only be impressed with them.

Exercise is like an arranged marriage. It isn't always sexy or fun, but it works. You don't have to fall in love with a particular activity to start exercising--you can simply choose to walk, pop in a DVD, or attend a class. Exercise works whether you are "in the zone" or in a funk. It is a choice to begin now, rather than waiting for the "right moment." If you choose it often and intentionally, you may find that you come to love it over time, and that you realize that you can't live without it after all (because, quite frankly, you can't!) Arrange some activity