Warning: Reading this article may make you start exercising. If you really hate exercise, then you should not risk reading further. If you do hate it, but wish you didn't, then read on. You may soon feel satisfied with yourself for actually taking care of your body, rather than feeling guilty for not exercising!

Here's how to tackle each one of your exercise excuses, get into action, and give your body the attention it craves.

1. "I need to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day to get results."

Most of us have a number that we think we should "hit" in order to exercise "enough." For some people, this is the daily recommended minimum of 30 minutes. For others, it's 45 minutes of weight-training plus another 45 minutes of cardio.

I'm not going to put up a fight with your number here. What I am going to do is challenge your idea of starting with that number right away. You see, even though 30 minutes a day might not seem like a lot, 30 minutes a day for the next 5 years is actually too much for your habitual brain to process.

So yes, everyone can do 30 minutes of daily exercise for one week. But how many people can do that for the next 5 years?

Exactly. Starting small–like really small, maybe 5 minutes or less–has the advantage of bypassing your brain's fight-or-flight response, the mechanism that make you sabotage yourself when you are trying to do something that seems "big" for too long.

This way, instead of mindlessly starting with an exercise program, you focus on building the habit first, and then once you are exercising a little bit every day, you are ready to expand how much exercise you do.

2. "I don't want to have to force myself to do it."

If you have to force yourself to do it, then there is a 90% chance that you are doing it wrong and you will never stick to exercise.

"Buuuut,"you might say, "I have friends who have made that happen."

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Yes, some people are motivated by challenges and others pushing them. Others hate it.

If you are one of the people who hate it, stop trying to change yourself. And of course, stop treating yourself as if you were one of those people who are motivated by challenges and being pushed. The more you use this approach on yourself, the more you'll hate exercise and of course, the more you won't do it!

Instead, change the way you approach exercise. Stop falling into what I call the "Happiness Paradox Trap." Instead of starting with what you think you "should do," start with what feels good.

This video from Exercise Bliss, a 10-week course that helps you make exercise a daily ritual, shows you what to do:

3. "I'm not motivated enough."

We think that motivation is the answer to sticking to exercise. If only we wanted it enough, then we would make it happen.

However, that is not true. Motivation is always there. If you feel you wish you exercised more, then you are motivated to exercise. If you are not doing it, it's not because you are not motivated. It's because something stops you.

It might be the activated fight-or-flight response we talked about in #1. For example, when you feel that you have too much to do, the fight-or-flight response kicks in, and you do nothing. Does this ring a bell?

People who have already made exercise a daily ritual, don't depend on boosting their motivation to get off the couch and exercise. They just do it, naturally, without debating it with themselves, desperately trying to get themselves into action.

Again, motivation is not the real issue here. It's something else that holds you back. Maybe you think you need to devote 1 hour and you don't know how to do that. Or, maybe you think you need to suffer to get results. Whatever the real reason is, find it. Only then will you be able to figure out a way to remove the obstacle that is on your way.

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4. "I don't need exercise. I only want to lose weight."

Many people just care about their weight, nothing else. Yet, our bodies are naturally wired to feel good when we move. Here is a quick list of the benefits of exercise:

Decreases the risk of various diseases and bad health conditions , like high cholesterol, diabetes, stroke, certain types of cancer, arthritis, cardiovascular diseases.

, like high cholesterol, diabetes, stroke, certain types of cancer, arthritis, cardiovascular diseases. Increases longevity. According to a Taiwanese study, just 15 minutes of daily exercise prolong life by three years. Not bad, huh?
