If the enjoyment of luxury is in the pleasurable change of state or mood it can provide, then there is no greater luxury as reliable or powerful as physical exercise. It is a luxury that sustains, prolongs and intensifies the enjoyment of life.

I should state here that I do not consider myself an athlete. I do not compete with others for domination or glory and I am not out to set any new records. I accept that, as a regular guy, my performance will be worse than some and better than others. But to me that does not matter. Fitness is something that I practice at my own pace and I do not expect perfection.

What I have come to expect from the regular practice of exercise, be it from working out with weights and/or running or using cardio-machines, is the delicious sensation of vitality that floods my body. After breaking through the initial inertia, and going through the slight stiffness of the warm-up period, blood starts flowing and the endorphins kick in so that even the pain of exertion is pleasurable.

The exultant effort of lifting weight through those last difficult reps when you ask your body for more even though you know you've done as much as you can and yet somehow summon the spirit to drive the weight up again, unleashing your inner primal affirmation 'Yes, I can!' (whether that weight makes it all the way up for one more rep or not) floods your body with life-affirming testosterone. Or maybe it's the final ten minutes on the treadmill after a thirty-minute run, with sweat spurting out of every pore and your heart seems to be pounding in your chest to the excited bongo-fury rhythm of some howling-mad beat-poet. The result is the same: animal bliss. A state of calm excitement and presence in the moment where whatever problems you may have take a back seat to the experience of your body and mind working together in harmonious effort.

So what does it take to experience the kind of luxury I'm talking about?

I'm no fitness expert (although I've spent years reading some of the best advice out there and have been the beneficiary of more helpful instruction than I can remember), but here are my tips for getting started:

• Firstly, get your current state of health checked out by a doctor, preferably one who specializes in sports medicine. It's a painless visit and there's no benefit to avoiding this. It is completely necessary whatever age you are, but even more so if you are over thirty.
• Once you have been given the green light by a physician, you can get a fitness test done by a fitness professional (find out what credentials they should have here or, in Canada, find out here) who will be able to recommend ways to achieve your specific goals whatever they may be, whether that means training for a recreational activity that you enjoy (like tennis or golf, for example), getting into the best shape of your life or just increasing your over-all sense of vigor. They can suggest the right program for you and help you stay injury-free in your training.
• Find something that feels natural to you. Maybe you enjoyed swimming when you were a kid and would splash around for hours with your friends whenever you got the chance. Perfect! Take up swimming. Or maybe you were the kind of kid who loved to pedal through his neighborhood for hours, coming in only when it was too dark to ride. What ever it was, start there. The more natural an exercise seems to you and the more fun you have with it, the greater the chance you will stick to it and really get something out of it. Anything can be a good starting place as long as it gets you moving.
• Make your activity a life-affirming habit. We all know that the going gets tough sometimes. Life can knock you around and sometimes it feels like it's all you can do just to hang on. That is the time when you may feel too preoccupied or too unmotivated to get to the gym or lace up those sneakers. It's also the time when exercise can be most beneficial. It can pluck your mind out of your troubles and give you the strength and confidence to soldier on and face whatever challenges you need to with renewed energy.
• Enjoy. Revel in your physical self and experience it with all of your senses. I'm not kidding. There are few things in life that you can count on to give you pure happiness with no regrets. Besides enjoying a great meal, experiencing the grandeur of nature, listening to your favorite music or having great sex, exercise is the most sensuous experience you can have.
• Get off the couch and do it. Right now.
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I hope you enjoyed this hub. Is exercise a part of your life? Let me know your thoughts and experiences by commenting below.