Doctors and health professionals agree: exercise is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Many fitness experts advise people to go to a gym at least three times a week and work out on fitness machines. I think fitness machines are great for those who like them. However, most people, in my experience, are bored silly by fitness machines and need to force themselves to use them. The result is that the majority of people who join gyms end up quitting after a few months. Is there anything that can be done? I think that people who play games for fitness do much better. Now, there are some who regard games as childish and a waste of time. But to me, and to many people like me, games are fun. The desire to improve and win in a game provides people with motivation. As a result, they don’t end up quitting their exercise regime. Which kinds of games are good? Any games that are competitive. I recommend tennis, racquetball, squash, basketball, soccer, softball, or many other things. Come on, get in the game, folks!

1. What concession does the author make about fitness machines?

2. What is the tone of the paragraph? How does the author create this tone?

3. Find a sentence that is an example of a rhetorical question. Why might the author have chosen to use a rhetorical question?

4. Write a paradox that the author could have included in the paragraph, and explain what it means.