Chapter 8

I was very surprised that exercise was not necessarily correlated with a longer life. There comes a point where exercise not only stops adding to one’s life but also actually starts detracting from one’s life expectancy length. I thought that this was unexpected because I didn’t know that exercise and life expectancy could be negatively correlated. Exercise has been one of the most revered health habits, with it having various benefits, ranging from boosting one’s psychological health to preventing many diseases. It is one of the first things that people suggest for physical, emotional, and mental problems. Therefore, with all of this in mind, I did not think there were any downsides to exercise.

With all this being said, the authors seemed to advocate for the readers to engage in an exercise regimen that was enjoyable for them. Since exercise, overall, takes about 2.5 years of one’s life, it seems to be worthwhile that the exercise one does is enjoyable and fun. They shared that exercise for the sake of exercise is a waste of almost three years of one’s life.

My current exercise regimen is something that I am not entirely thrilled about. I go to the gym two to three times a week, and I run on the treadmill for an hour each time. I pass the time by watching TV or listening to music. It is not entirely enjoyable to me because of how repetitive running is. However, overall, it is an activity that I do because it burns many calories, is free, and is convenient. I have been trying to find other activities that could  possibly be more fun for me. However, I usually end up coming back to my usual running routine. Though I do not entirely like running, I do acknowledge that the reasons I keep doing it is because of the benefits I get from it. After running, I feel proud, stress-free, and motivated. I think I will continue to look for other exercise activities that I can do. In the meantime, though I am not ecstatic about it, I don’t mind continuing my exercise regimen.