As much as we fitness writers want to make exercise out to be awesome (!) and fun (!) and other exclamation-point inducing adjectives, that's not always the honest truth. For many people, exercise is nothing but a pain in the rear. Even if you know all the benefits of exercise and how necessary it is for good health, there are times that you'd much rather plop on the couch and watch TV.

I'll admit that I used to feel that way. Then, several years ago I started trying to lose weight. I forced myself to exercise every day and, other than the gratifying sense of accomplishment I felt when it was done, I hated every minute of it. A couple of months later, I had a really stressful day at work. When I got home, I wanted to exercise. Somehow, amidst all my "hating" exercise, I had learned to use my workout to relieve stress. Totally weird, because usually I turned to chocolate when I was stressed out. That's when I began loving exercise -- I finally realized that as I was working out, the physical activity was working for me.

If you're exercising while hating it like I was, keep at it and try some positive self talk while waiting for your workout epiphany. Ashley Tisdale admits that she hated going to the gym. Now she says: "Before I work out, I think, 'I love exercise' -- and it works." Take a tip from the High School Musical actress and fake it until you make it. And remember to find activities you can enjoy ... it really makes a difference.