Share your ideas on why Americans understand the importance of being healthy and fit, but don't see the value in exercise. What are your ideas on changing this attitude?

Here is my response.  Feel free to discuss.

It's the same reason that so many people smoke. They cannot see what doing it (or not doing it) does to them right away so they put off quitting (or starting in this case).  Another reason is that many Americans find their daily lives so stressful and tiring and, despite all the evidence that exercise increases your energy overall, it is counterintuitive to get up and run around the block 10 times when you feel physically and mentally spent.

I think changing this attitude is a monumental task. People with backgrounds in exercise science (ie myself) who know all the benefits, have experienced all the benefits and who study the new benefits on a daily basis cannot get themselves to put an exercise routine into practice.

Some of my personal reasons are as follows:
I work in a fitness facility. The last thing I want to do is show up early or stay late.
But on the other hand I cannot justify spending money to belong to a facility when I could use one for free. It's paradoxical and ironic and completely ridiculous but it's the circular logic I am stuck in.

I know that every person who wants to exercise but doesn't has their own list of reasons and they are probably just as rational/irrational as mine.

So I guess, since I have such a hard time changing my own attitude, I am very much the wrong person to ask on changing the national attitude.

Anyone else experience similar problems?

Anyone have a way out they'd like to share?