Does this scenario sound familiar? You've arrived home with a headache from a long day at work, you've shuttled the kids to and from their activities, made dinner for them (not necessarily the healthiest one either), and now you've collapsed on the couch exhausted and ready to fall asleep. Then you realize you haven't exercised. You feel even worse and start kicking yourself for forgetting or not making the time to work out.

You intended to work out. You probably thought about it during the day and may have even looked forward to it. Millions of gym memberships and home exercise machines have been purchased with the best of intentions; especially at the beginning of the New Year. But the truth is that we often don't work out because exercise is not high enough on our priority list. It truly is a priority for most of us, but something else always seems to get in the way.

Now, another scenario that may seem familiar: You're lying in bed, reflecting on the day. Your muscles ache from doing a little exercise the day before, but all in all you've had a good day: running around the neighborhood with friends, biking around the block, maybe playing a pick-up game of baseball or dancing to music. Your energy has been drained but in a satisfying way. You have no trouble falling asleep and can't wait for tomorrow.

Remember being a kid and having all the energy in the world to burn? While that's just not the case anymore once we grow up, go to college, get jobs and start families, we can still try to have that same attitude we did as a kid--that exercise isn't work. It is fun and positive, a necessary part of our daily routine. Exhilarating. Makes us pleasantly tired. This is why our brains produce pleasant endorphins when we finish working out so we want to do it again.

One way of doing this is to integrate exercise as much as possible into family activities. We all love to eat food together, but why not try going swimming or dancing to your favorite music? Not only is it more fun to exercise with your kids and neighbors than it is to go to cardio class, but it makes working out more accessible and teaches kids that making exercise a part of their lives is essential to their well being.

Whether we are trying to lose weight, increase endurance, build strength, relieve stress or simply maintain our health, exercise is a necessity. Some may see it as a necessary evil, while others do really enjoy it but have trouble finding the time. We all know that motivation is the key here and we can become more motivated to exercise by making it part of our regular routine, not just a special event.