Are you having trouble sticking to a regular exercise routine and healthy diet? So many people have tried losing weight with little or no success have you ever wondered why? The fact is, anyone can force themselves to make that first attempt to exercise and eat sensibly, they may stay with it for a few weeks, sometimes even months, but after this "breaking in" period, do they stick with it? Unfortunately the majority do not. I think this is a very important issue and deserves to be examined.

As a personal trainer, it is my job to take a person who has been inactive and lead them into a fitness lifestyle. It is not enough to simply teach a person how to exercise. What good does it do to know how to use a piece of equipment if you have no desire to do so? And so the big question: If you truly hate to exercise, can you ever hope to work out for the rest of your life? If your diet never seems to be working, can you ever hope to lose weight and keep it off? The answer is YES, you can.

For the next few weeks, I am going to show you ways to not only start your diet and exercise program, but how to stick with it as well for a LIFETIME. Lets take it one step at a time. It is important to recognize that there are dozens of factors that will ultimately determine whether you succeed or fail in your efforts to get into shape. Barring situations that may be out of your control, such as medical conditions or emergency situations that may interfere with your routine, you are in control of your life. You must decide for yourself if making changes to your current lifestyle is really important to you. If it is, and you are ready to take charge and succeed, read on.

Discipline Don't tell me you don't have discipline. We all have discipline. Think about this...why do you get up at 6AM and go to work when it would be easier to just stay in bed? Why do you stop for gas when it would be easier to just drive on by the station? Why do you wash your clothes, brush your teeth, comb your hair, or take a shower when you really don't have to? The reason is simple...you fear the consequences of NOT doing these things. We know that certain behaviors lead to certain outcomes, and we don't want to have to face those risks. So why wouldn't you make the same association with exercise and diet? Probably because there are no immediate consequences to eating a fast food lunch, or skipping a few workouts here and there. It is a matter of realizing what the long-term negative effects of improper eating and inactivity are to your body and taking daily steps to avoid them. Treat yourself well, you are important, this is your body we are talking about, it is not replaceable. It must be taken care of just like other things in your life.

Desire Don't confuse discipline with desire. You may have all the discipline in the world to get things done most of the time, but today you would really rather sit and read your favorite novel or watch television instead of going to the gym. Nothing wrong with taking a day off now and then, but if the fitness goals you set for yourself call for exercise over reading on a given day, you need to give some thought to what may be happening to change this plan. Somewhere along the line you may have made the comparison between what you "like" to do and what you perceive as a possible negative experience. If you find you truly lack the desire to start a formal exercise program of lifting weights and/or aerobic activity, there is a solution. It involves taking the time to make a list of different types of activities that you have always wanted to try, or that you have done in the past and remember as being interesting, positive and fun. This may be as simple as heading out to the park with a grandchild to fly a kite, riding a bike, or planting a vegetable garden, to something more daring, like learning to rollerblade, rock-climb, or even skydive. The idea is to find things that not only take you from a sedentary lifestyle to a more active one, but that give you some kind of enjoyment as well. That is the key. The additional movement will burn extra calories and work your muscles to various degrees, and make you feel great!

In next weeks column, I will be discussing more ways to insure success in achieving your fitness goals.

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