“If you really hate doing it, it won’t get done.”

Productivity isn’t about willpower and pushing yourself to work harder.

Image by Yannick Pulver on Unsplash.

I tend to write about fitness and I get teased (and sometimes criticized) when I talk about being fit. Many people assume I played sports as a child and grew into fitness easily.

The truth is, as a child I was a wuss.

I was the one picked last for games, and with good. reason. I never could understand why you’d stand still when a large ball was headed your way.

I got into fitness when a friend invited me to join her in a gym class in New York. She didn’t let me argue: she handed me an extra set of tights and dragged me along with a promise of brunch afterward.

I won’t tell you how long ago it was…but I got hooked and never looked back.

And that’s why I brag about my fitness.

It’s totally unexpected. Fitness gave me confidence and strength, as well as bragging rights when I had to see a doctor. I’ve looked up all the articles on fitness and health.

As an academic, I co-authored a research paper many years ago. We found that people who exercised for their own gratification (such as feeling good afterward) stayed with the program; those who wanted to lose ten pounds for a wedding fell by the wayside. I work out for…