Last month, Netflix began testing a new speed-watching feature to help subscribers binge on their favorite shows 1.5 times faster.

Are you really so pressed for time that you have to watch your favorite programs on fast-forward?

Not really. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Americans average more than five hours of free time daily.

But how do they decide to use that free time? Mostly staring at one screen or another, hardly moving.

A RAND Corporation study based on government data from 32,000 Americans found that no gender or economic group is spending even 7% of their free time on physical activity. That's a measly 21 out of the 300 minutes available every day.

No wonder obesity, diabetes, depression, and some cancers are on the rise.

Clearly motivation — not time — is most folks' main obstacle to physical activity.

To correct that, here are few smart steps that will move you psychologically so that you're interested in moving physically. To begin getting a minimum of 30 to 60 minutes a day of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, plus muscle-strengthening activities twice weekly, adopt these motivation-boosting techniques:

• Meditate for 10 minutes morning and evening. Clearing away stress will give you more energy.

• Make exercise a family/buddy activity. Showing you care for one another will increase both your positive feelings about yourself and create an incentive to improve your health.

• Set realistic goals, then reward yourself when you hit them. For instance, if you lose four pounds in a month, buy new jeans. Or if you get 300 minutes of activity this week, you earned a massage.