What's in a name?

"That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet."

Shakespeare had something there.

I've been thinking—for ages—that I need to get more exercise. But, oh, yuck! Exercise. It dredges up pictures of walking (or worse, running) for at least 30 minutes a day, often by myself. Or doing weight-training, or using a treadmill, or doing workout videos. Exercise. Then I, too, can lower my BMI and be healthy and I can look and feel like the latest, hottest, cute thing. (Or so they say.) But, oh yuck! Must it be exercise?

Exercise. A word that says "get off your butt," or "you need to shape up," or "your BMI is too high and you're going to have a heart attack and die—after you struggle with diabetes for a while." A word that is equivalent to hard work, or chore.

All these people who want to make us be less fat and more healthy ought to come up with a different word—or phrase. Instead of saying we need to get more exercise, they ought to suggest going out and having fun, don't you think? I mean, say the words out loud: "EXERCISE."
Now say, "FUN." Which one sounds better to you?

Here, I'll say them to you: "You need to go out and get more exercise."

Ponder that for a minute.

Now: "You need to go out and have more fun."

Which would you rather do?

Now, I've been wanting to get my body moving for a long, long while. Not just so I can lose weight (which I do want), but because my brain is tired of being sedentary (another ugly word). When I am swamped in, and laden with inactivity my mind turns to mush, and it gets more irritable too. But what is fun for me?

So my problem is finding something that is fun for me.

I have friends who love running every day; they enter marathons and everything. I could actually go out walking or running every day, but to me that feels tedious. Exercise: not fun. Also it gives me shin-splints which is extra not fun-ness.  But I love taking ballet classes—FUN! But I can't afford to go out and take a ballet class. Also I would feel guilty taking ballet classes unless I put my girls in dance classes too, which would be even more expensive. :-/

Some people get workout videos and enjoy doing them in the privacy of their own home. To me that is exercise, not fun. I tried doing my very own ballet classes in the privacy of my own home, but that was only fun for two or three times. But going out and taking a belly-dance class? —that would be fun. But there's the money thing—and the guilt thing—again.

I might be able to get a group of friends (or my kids) to play basketball with me, but flying balls are scary. And I have no idea of the rules. And I get shin-splints. Scary exercise; not fun.

But, but, but... Too many "buts."

So I had to think of something FUN to do, that I really could do. And I think I've got it! I'm sure of it, even. But that is for the next post. In the meantime, what do you think about exercise vs. fun? And what is your idea of a fun, not-exercising ;-) activity? I'd like to know. :-)