Whoever said contemplation was for monks and nuns only? Many of us contemplate, and for a long time, whether to exercise or not.

Are you a contemplator? Try finishing these two sentences:

• I ought to exercise because
• I don't exercise because

If you are a true contemplator, your list of cons outweighs your list of pros. Part of you orders you around: "Exercise!" Another part rebels, "No way!" Guess which part usually wins at this game

Contemplators are aware that being sedentary is a problem. They see the advantages of an active lifestyle but can't get started. Contemplators are seriously thinking about becoming active; they simply have not made a decision to take action yet. They may have been active at one point but have let go of the habit.

Research has identified five stages of change: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. Precontemplators are not even aware that a problem exists with being sedentary. Those in the preparation stage go one step further than contemplators in that they intend to take action in the next month and may have unsuccessfully tried to be active in the past year. The action stage is where people start being active regularly. It requires a great deal of effort and for that reason, new exercisers are very tempted to quit and regress to an earlier stage. If they persist, however, they embark on the maintenance stage, where they strive to keep up the regular pattern of activity by removing obstacles to being active.

Which stage lasts longest? — Contemplation. Ambivalence keeps us stuck in that stage for years sometimes. To move on, we must ensure that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Here are ways to make this happen:

• Write down the pros and cons for being active. If you only list 5 or 10, keep looking. There are over 50!
  
• Consider the social benefits of physical activity. You could spend your activity night with a pal — what better excuse for being together!
  
  
• Put the fun back into exercise. Oops! Scrap that "e" word. Exercise carries more images of martyrdom and boring routines than fun. Call it something else, like active living, or fun walk, or activity night, whatever strikes your pleasure chord.
  
  
• Imagine a flow of fresh air and energy circulating inside your body. Envision loosening those stiff joints and filling your lungs with life-giving air. Or renewing the supply of oxygen to your overstressed brain cells.
  
  
• Think of three ways you could reward yourself for increasing your activity level.

Moving from contemplation to preparation is a matter of the pros becoming more powerful than the cons. Then it's simple psychology: to be consistent with our thinking, we must at least be somewhat active!

But beware, contemplators don't need immediate action; they especially need more insight. If you are a contemplator, take the time in the next month to find out more about the benefits of an active, healthy lifestyle. Make the most of your contemplation experience.