I just turned 52 a few days ago, on 19th September. There is really nothing very significant about 52, unlike 40 (when they say life begins) or 50 (the magical half century). It was a quiet day but I did have time to spend in front of a mirror and I thought, “I have to do something about my stomach". Time to do those stomach exercises I have been avoiding like a plague.

I am not a stranger to exercise. I have been diagnosed diabetic for nine years now. In all my visits to the diabetic clinic for check-ups, I always had to see a dietician and the advice was to loose weight fast. To be fair, I did carry a bit of a load in front of me from a very fulfilling relationship I had with Guinness since my teenage years. Yes I did start early. The emphasis was therefore to do stomach exercises and loose weight around my middle area.

There are so many types of stomach exercises that one can do. Some of them involve using some form of equipment or the other whilst others are just standard yoga-type exercise. In most cases, all that is required is a consistent ten to fifteen minutes every day at a fixed time.

Personally, I prefer lower stomach exercises that require no equipment at all. The beauty about these stomach exercises is that they can be covered in less than ten minutes and can be done anywhere, in the office, at home, in the kitchen, out on the beach, and literally anywhere where there is a little space.

If these stomach exercises are so easy to do, then why can’t I do them?

The main problem I have with doing exercises of any form, and in particular, stomach exercises, is discipline. You will be surprised how many of us are so busy we cannot carve out just ten minutes of the day to take care of ourselves by way of very simple exercise routines. There is always something “more important” to do. I happen to be one of those.

There are many other reasons why I cannot get myself to do stomach exercises, but, at the end of the day, they all revolve around discipline. This is the discipline of time management. Devoting that crucial ten minutes out of 1,440 in a day, to do these exercises.

Well, I want you to go away with some thought – what is the cost of ten minutes of your time spent on simple lower stomach exercises daily. I have been asking myself the same question recently and wondering why I cannot do stomach exercise.