where is the option for i have to stay sexy for my 200 white undershirts? no, it's for overall health and sexual performance otherwise I wouldn't care.
maintain appearance. I don't want to look like my overweight, balding, cigarette smoking high school classmates. always been active, on my feet at work all the time. bike-riding, skateboarding, tennis, and hiking to stay active... I play basketball at the 8th grade level, so I can run with the middle schoolers I work with and it's an even wash.
Mental health. Self respect for myself as a man. Confidence booster. And helps me take out my anger and relax.
I do it mostly for health reasons, but also because people discriminate against overweight people. That might sound "out there", but it's true. Many will assume fat people are lazy and undisciplined. In addition, people have a natural affinity to others who look good, and staying in shape helps that. The mental side is an important side benefit, as well.
I voted "better mental health." I have found staying in shape makes me more happy, I generally feel better and more outgoing as a person (and I am an introvert). I also feel I do better at work. Maintain appearance would probably be 2nd on the list. I hate feeling sluggish and cranky. I do anything to avoid that.
Maintaining/Improving appearance (you can always improve) is my main motivation. The human body is a pretty cool thing and its fun to see results whether it be building muscle or burning fat. This in turn naturally leads to better overall physical health as well as better mental health. I don't play much ball anymore and the only 'sport' I frequently play now is golf, so I don't really care about the performance aspect lol. Also, life is more fun being swole.
I'd say it's pretty much equally divided between health, physical appearance, and performance in sports. I'm 45 now and I play Ultimate twice a week with mostly much younger players. If I want to be competitive at all I need to be in good shape. This is such a rich part of my life I want to extend it as long as possible. Also at 45, I'm very aware of the health problems that start to accumulate with age and I want to forestall them as much as I can. Finally, even though I'm married with kids, I'm still fairly vain and want to look good.
Needs to be a multiple choice poll. (and probably an option for "I don't keep in shape" to include anyone who doesn't try ) Myself, it's partially for health reasons - to live a long life with the ability to do whatever I want for a lot longer yet - and then partially to improve appearance. (or maintain in terms of it not getting any worse) As a female, there's not societal pressure to work out as long as you look good/thin without it. But everyone's not that lucky. It's better to be in shape anyway.
I feel lousy and lack energy when I'm out of shape, but I don't like to diet. I generally eat well, but I have no interest in counting calories or denying myself something when I want it. So that pretty much requires exercise. Which I enjoy anyway, since most of my exercise comes from playing basketball. But yeah, during the winter when I'm working a lot and can't do as much outside, I end up gaining 5-10 lbs and just feel gross. Oh, and I refuse to buy new clothes (or get alterations) because I don't fit into my regular clothes. So cheapness is a factor too.
Working out should be as natural as sleeping. As we have evolved, we weren't meant to be sitting in air conditioned offices in front of computer screens for several hours a day. I do it for all the reasons in your poll and more like attracting the opposite sex. There was a time in my life where I was stranded in a developing country without water to shower and bathe in. My mood became surly. That's how I feel when not exercising.
