If exercise were a pill, it would be the blockbuster to end all blockbusters. What else can lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes and several cancers and lead to a longer life–all while lifting your mood?

How could a pill compete?

That’s not stopping some intrepid scientists from trying.

A recent paper in Trends in Pharmacological Sciences laid out the many possible compounds being studied. The goal is a drug that gives our muscles a workout…without working out. Medicine for couch potatoes, you say? Remember that some people can’t exercise, such as those with spinal cord injuries…severe cardiovascular disease…debilitating arthritis…and others.

But the medical visionaries go further. They want to target anyone in “low compliance” with “optimal” exercise recommendations. Hey, that’s me! Maybe you, too! What’s the goal—to turn us into a nation of lazybones à la the movie WALL-E?

No need to fret. No exercise pill is even close. Indeed, a new study published in Cell Metabolism indicates that research toward that goal reveals just how very far there is to go. When humans exercise, the researchers find, there are more than a thousand different cell changes. Hard to pack that into a pill.

Let’s not wait for a miracle. Truth is, you already have one. It’s your body. Here’s one place to start moving it: 5 Exercises That Make Everyday Life Better…and Keep Your Body Younger. While you’re at it, why not get strong, too?

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below and tell us: If a safe exercise pill were available now, would you take it?