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You read that headline right. I’m here to tell you that 2023 can be the year you resolve, once and for all, to stop exercising. That’s because “exercise” – or at least what most people think of when they hear the word “exercise” is a chore.

Let me explain. Exercise is something many people don’t enjoy. Exercise takes time – at least three to six hours a week. It is tedious. It requires you to put on work-out clothes and go to places where you are forced to sweat in front of people you don’t know – or worse, people you DO know. And when you’re exercising, you’re never sure if you’re doing it correctly or safely.

But because they know it’s “good for them,” many people resolve to exercise on January 1 each year. A month later, when they’re tired, or busy, or haven’t seen the results they hoped for, they quit.

The truth is, most of us don’t really want to exercise as much as we want the benefits that exercise delivers:  We want to be strong and physically fit. We want to slow the aging process and lower our risk of disease. We want a good self-image.

What we really want, in other words, is MUSCLE

Doctors now believe that, next to quitting smoking, the single most important thing an adult can do to live a longer, healthier, pain-free life is to build their strength.

Muscle, it turns out, is the body’s master switch, the gatekeeper for long-term health. The good news is, you can build muscle without exercising – at least in the traditional sense. A scientifically based strength-building method known as slow cadence weight training makes it possible to achieve in one 20-minute session what might otherwise require three hours or more in the gym a week.

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness reports that slow cadence training results in a 50 percent greater strength gain than conventional weightlifting. It’s proven to build muscle better than aerobics, jogging, walking, biking and other traditional forms of exercise. In St. Louis, Sarasota and Tampa, this form of strength building is available at 20 Minutes to Fitness, a medically based center for people of all ages and fitness levels.

Build strength in just 20 minutes, just once a week

Depending on which studio you visit, you could train with a physical therapist or physical therapy assistant, an exercise physiologist or an experienced/certified personal coach. 20 Minutes to Fitness uses top-of-the-line MedX physical therapy equipment and safe, scientifically based training methods. There is no sweating, no workout clothes and no competition with the people who go to gyms to show off their physiques. And, again, all it takes is ONE 20-minute session a week. Your own trainer stays with you from start to finish.

When making your New Year’s Resolutions for 2024, don’t resolve to exercise. Resolve to get fit the smart way instead.

Contributed by Casey Schulte, P.T.  Casey is a physical therapist and general manager for 20 Minutes to Fitness in St. Louis.