When Fitness is a Lifestyle!

What to do when you know what to do and still don't.

I have been thinking about this subject for quite some time now.  We all know that to successfully lose weight and keep it off, one must eat fewer calories than we burn and exercise. No magic bullet, no miracle pill, just plain old diet and exercise. It is not sexy; you won’t see it on an infomercial.  It seems that quite a few folks are waiting and waiting for an easier way. While they wait, they get bigger and sicker. In the beginning The Biggest Loser had people weighing 400 pounds, and that was considered very heavy. Last season Michael weighed over 500 pounds! Gee, I wonder what the size of the contestants will be this year.

I heard a story about a tribe of Indians that gather once a month around the fire and discuss their problems and the elder tribesman would offer advice to help that person overcome their problem. If the same person came to the fire three times with the same problem, they believed that they had CHOSEN to have that problem. I hear the same thing day in and day out in my office.  This is how a typical conversation goes.

First let me say this type of conversation has happened more times than I can count. Second, I do applaud them for continuing to come in for their workouts.  Losing weight and getting in shape is not easy, it is very hard work and takes time to see results.  The folks that sell products on infomercials do so well because they work on the immediate gratification. The immediate gratification is how you feel after a workout. 

Here are some questions to think about...

• Which direction are you going in?

• Are you getting in better shape each day?

• Are you giving up and just going to wait for the miracle weight loss pill?

• Do you really believe that if you are not losing weigh while dieting and exercising that you shouldn’t be doing it?

• What happens if you continue doing what you are doing?

• Will you be healthier a year from now? How about 5 or 10 years?

• If you are overweight and out of shape do you have life insurance?

• Have you made long term care plans?

• Have you made funeral arrangements?

I don’t want to sound like a jerk, but if you could see the pain and misery that is caused by loved ones that don’t take care of themselves, you would feel the same way.

So how do you get back on track?

1. Do something each and every day that makes you sweat. 
   

2. Do the best you can and make good food choices. Eat as much fruit and vegetables as possible (5 to 6 servings a day is good). Don’t buy food at the store you know have a hard time staying away from.
   

3. If it has been awhile since you have been in to Functional Conditioning, let us look at how we can put together a workout program that works for your particular situation.
   
   

4. Enjoy all that life has to offer. Love your friends and family.
   Don’t get so caught up in the day to day that you lose sight of the big picture.
   

5. Realize that the planets will never line up perfectly for you to get started, so do it now.
   

6. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give up and quit on yourself!
   

Yours in health,

Brian