So “exercise” is a bad word to you. Maybe it’s the company that you keep. Maybe it’s got to do with how athletic you are naturally. Or maybe it’s just an excuse to damn well do nothing at all.

One month. Just give yourself one month apart from a bunch of regular-guy-type friends – guys who’d rather snooze than sweat – and you’ll observe that they’ve gained weight perceptibly. At this stage of the game, once you let your body go downhill, it’s a friggin’ one-way street.

These regular-guy-type friends not only don’t work out, they snigger at those who do. It’s almost as if it was un-cool or weird to be seen pounding the pavement during lunch, or heading to the gym after work. Training to pass your IPPT becomes the epitome of stupidity. Having to enroll for army remedial training turns out to be a coveted badge of honour.

Doing absolutely nothing about your physical wellbeing becomes the norm.

I’ve mentioned before, exercise is probably the best elixir for you to remain healthy, and to keep your head screwed on right. Try it – I’m talking including some physical activity every day. It doesn’t have to be a pedal-to-the-metal workout every time. A couple of sets of pushups and pull-ups work fine.

You’ll notice the changes. When I exercise regularly, I wake up automatically at 7am – fresh. My metabolic rate increases (I can eat fried carrot cake and a plate of chicken rice without the niggling feeling of putting on more flab) and best of all, it lets me know that there’s more to life than work. 

Compare this to fast food laden, TV-only nights. I greet the new morning like a zombie.

Working out – regardless whether you’re a slacker, smoker (or both) – is an indispensable part of your life. Come January 31 this Sunday, at the inaugural Men’s Health Urbanathlon, we’re going to set the record straight.