Want Dan Carter abs? Get sweating ...

Zumba. The Ab King Pro. The all-new 2nd Edition of Windsor Pilates from Guthy Renker.

I guarantee that at some time or another you've seen at least one of these infomercials commanding you to keep "trim, toned and to get those flat and sexy abs you've always dreamed of".

We are constantly bombarded with messages to stay fit in some way or another- exercising has become a national obsession.

Weak and strong, young and old, we all have the intention, if not the willpower, to push-play in whatever way we can.

Most people will say exercise is simply to keep fit and healthy. But secretly people are motivated by an element of elitism or perceived heroism, whether it's in the schoolyard, the local gym or on the world stage.

Think about those All Blacks ads in which they push themselves and tough it out in their training, drenched with sweat, culminating in Daniel Carter taking off his shirt and showing off his abs.

There must be many sad, grown men out there staring every time that ad comes on.

Staring because there has been a culture shift and it is now acceptable to admire another man's hard-earned abdominals, when in the past such a notion would be taboo.

Sad because they are probably conscious of their own flabby beer bellies, the only six-packs they have lying next to them on the couch, cold from the fridge, while their missus' are warm for Dan's form.

Not that there's nothing wrong with dreaming of having rock-hard abs.

It can be a motivator for staying healthy, driving people to achieve physical gains beyond what they might otherwise have aspired to.

I play basketball with my friends from time to time for general health and wellbeing, but I also have a goal to exercise for at least an hour twice a week. I'm 1.68m and my goal is to dunk.

My motivation to exercise may seem outlandish, but it is striving for the goal that has led me to achieve good results.

Last year we were asked to jump as high as we could during basketball practice with the aim of touching the rim. I watched kids much taller than me get their fingers on it and, to my surprise, I was able to hit it with mine. Exercise is not only beneficial due to the release of endorphins that make you feel good, it's also good for your self-esteem when, after all your sweat and stink, you see yourself succeed, which usually also breeds success in other areas of your life.

As the saying goes, "mens sana in corpore sano" - a healthy mind in a healthy body.

This is probably what fuels people to exercise and determines the success of exercise fads like zumba. All around New Zealand there are entire communities of all ages doing zumba instead of weights and pilates.

Why? Because it suits people of all fitness levels and creates a fun, group environment. Although it may be a little gimmicky with its soundtrack of "hot Latin beats", and may not get you the kind of results that the hardcore athlete would get from exercises with a higher degree of intensity, for some, it sure beats grinding it out on an ab-crunching machine or forcing a smile as you try contorting your body into the shape of a salted pretzel.

As to how a select few become freakishly fit and go on to become national and international performers like the All Blacks and Olympic gold medallists, you'll just have to ask one when you see one for the specifics.

In general, a person's success in terms of physical fitness relies on many factors, including the environment they are brought up in, genetics, sleep, nutrition and effort. You may not be able influence where you live, or pick and choose your parents, but sleep, a healthy diet and old-fashioned hard work are definitely within your control, hence the saying that talent is nothing without hard work, and success is 10 per cent inspiration and 90 per cent perspiration.

For those of you who are still looking down at your beer bellies, don't worry. It's not too late to get those flat and sexy abs you've always dreamed of, and it won't be a fancy diet or exercise machine that'll get you there.

Nicholas Contreras, Year 13, Sacred Heart College Auckland