Attitude is more important than age or athleticism when it comes to bicycle commuting.

My job involves enabling and encouraging elementary school children to safely walk and ride bicycles to school. When I was hired in November 2006 to coordinate the Safe Routes to School program for the N.H. Department of Transportation, I decided I should set a good example and gain the health benefits by cycling to work.

TIP: No time for regular exercise? Make your commute part of your daily workout.

Most American workers don't have the luxury of a shower at work, much less the time for a shower during the workday. If you use getting sweaty as an excuse for not exercising, read on!

Soap and water
Stash a container of liquid soap and a couple of those super-wicking towels at work. After your bout of exercise, duck into the restroom to swab off.

According to experts, sneaking in one or more 10-minute bouts of exercise on days when we just can't liberate that half-hour or 40 minutes can deliver impressive fitness benefits. Other than illness or disability, that leaves almost no excuse for not exercising, even for the most time-strapped among us.

Steep barriers to getting regular exercise.

Studies have shown that while almost all Americans believe that exercise contributes to good health, most also believe that current culture poses steep barriers to getting regular exercise. Yet other surveys reveal that American households watch an average of eight hours of TV each day.