If sensible eating is one half of the healthy-living equation, the other half is exercise. Why is it so hard to accept this? In part, it's our busy lives. Some of us can't squeeze an extra minute out of the day to exercise. And in part it's our couch potato culture. People drive to work, take an elevator instead of the stairs, sit at a desk all day, then unwind in front of the tube at night. They may be as mentally agile as astrophysicists, but tell them to exercise and they react as if they're being read a death sentence. For many of us, it just seems like one more chore that we don't have time for.

Make Exercise Part of Your Routine
If you're pressed for time, consider this: Brisk activity will rev up your engine, making you more energetic, more alert, and more productive -- perhaps even prompting the discovery that you have more spare time than you thought. The trick is getting launched -- once you do, the benefits of exercise will likely get you hooked. Before starting an exercise routine, consult your doctor. Excessive weight is a risk factor for heart disease, as are conditions that often accompany being overweight such as high blood pressure, high blood-fat levels, and diabetes. It's important that you get a stress test to see whether your heart can sustain moderate exercise. It's equally important, if you're a novice, not to overdo it the first day. To avoid overtaxing weak muscles or an ill-prepared heart, ease into exercise. Start with a few minutes each day and build up gradually over several weeks until you've hit your goal. That's the best insurance against heart attack, injury -- and the discouragement that can result from an overzealous start.

Once you establish a regular routine, the cascading benefits of exercise may well surprise and delight you -- and make you wonder why this epiphany was so long in coming. On top of burning calories, brisk exercise appears to crank up the body's levels of antihunger chemicals: glucose, serotonin,noradrenaline, adrenaline, and dopamine. When you diet, you force yourself to eat less. When you exercise briskly, you want to eat less 

Moreover, physical activity makes you feel better. The hunger-snuffing hormone noradrenaline doubles as a mood-elevating stimulant. After 10 minutes of sustained activity most people, if they're already fit, experience an invigorating high that can last as long as six to 18 hours beyond exercise. And studies have shown that a single 40-minute walk can lessen anxiety. If you find yourself raiding the cookie jar whenever you're blue or tense, regular exercise might be a good antidote