There's no reason not to.....

... exercise... and I'm not kidding. I think the NUMBER ONE thing we all lack is the motivation to change our lives. The number two would be the lack of knowledge on how to continue to succeed.

Let's start with the number one reason - the motivation to change. I'm sure at some point or another we have all been at our healthy peak. For me it was my first year of college, I would work out everyday, eat really well and I felt and looked great! For some reason after that year I just stopped. I didn't work out, I didn't eat well and I just assumed I was just as fit and healthy as I was that year in college. But I wasn't.. and it just got worse as the years went on. I would see myself in photos and just shrug it off as a 'bad angle' or a 'bad photo' but it wasn't the photo, it was my heavier body! I had this vision of myself in my head from years and years ago but that's just not what it looked like anymore. I had no reason to want to change as I thought nothing was that wrong. I mean, I've always been overweight as I've mentioned before, so I just always assumed that's the way it was always going to be.

So because I never thought I was someone who was that "far gone" I never thought I needed a diet or exercise plan, or professional help either with a diet program or joining a gym. I would try to workout here and there, mostly when I was feeling self-conscious.. but that would last a week or two and I thought that would be good enough. This touches on reason number two, lacking the knowledge on how to continue. I never thought that the first few weeks were just the starting point, not the ending point. I didn't know I had to eat better and keep consistent to see real results, I just always assumed I was doomed to be the 'fat girl'. I didn't realize that sitting on the couch for the whole evening was a negative choice. I didn't know that it was actually a LOT easier than I thought to really get the weight off forever and extend my lifespan!

So this brings me to my point of the day: There is no reason NOT TO BE ACTIVE. And I mean it. Whether your reason to workout is you're someone who needs to lose weight, or if you're just doing it to maintain your weight OR just being active to be healthy - there is no excuse to not be active and exercise.

One thing I can say is the only factor I can think of is time - if you have lots of time to dedicate to fitness & nutrition you will probably be successful much quicker than someone who only has a little time to dedicate to it but that's really it. Speed. So if you're a mom of 2, you have a full-time job and a house to clean.. yes, your time is monopolized vs someone like me who only has myself and my fiance to look after, 2 pets and work from home. But I'm sorry, it's STILL NO EXCUSE!!! You can still find the time in the day to make yourself feel better.

It's so easy to put our own health on the back-burner and chalk it up to "no time", or "I'm too tired" but really we aren't doing ourselves any favours... so here's my advice: stop denying yourself a healthy, happy, active life. By making these excuses we are living in denial and are short changing ourselves!

It's not like you have to do anything HUGE to your daily life to make good choices that will snowball to something amazing, we've talked a little bit about nutrition and label reading but in terms of being active it's really just a few small things. Turn off the TV and computer and instead take your kids out to the park after dinner, run around with them and play and be silly! You'll burn tons of calories and have a great time bonding and playing with your kids - they'll love it too! Take the dog for a good walk, he/she will appreciate it and it'll inspire you to get outside and enjoy quality time with your spouse, or kids while you do something active together. So was that so hard? Already you've made positive choices to your day to be active and healthy. Be creative and think of ways to do things together - bike ride, rollerblade, go to the zoo for the day, garden together, go for a nature walk or hike, play an active game for Wii (or Xbox Kinect, or Playstation Move) like EA Sports Active, Wii Sports, Biggest Loser - these are all active things to do as a family that will help keep you in good health mentally and physically. And next time your cursing the 3rd vacuum of the week or picking up after your spouse and kids here's a little bonus for you: cleaning the house burns calories too!! Don't just schlep around like a zombie and clean, put on some good music (refer to my ipod playlist in a previous post) and dance and put some energy into your daily chores! You'll have more fun, feel less negative and burn calories!

To really ramp up your weight loss, build on your already healthy & active habits. Turn your walk with the dog into a jog, choose a route with more hills when you're biking etc etc. One thing I can also say is having time to just yourself isn't a bad thing. If you want to take a few days a week to go to the gym or workout on your own DON'T FEEL GUILTY!!! Get a gym membership, get a workout DVD and free weights - do what you want to do that will make you feel motivated to keep going.

You have more time than you think to start taking the steps to a healthier life, just make the effort! Like I've said each good choice snowballs into something else and sooner or later you'll be buying your skinny jeans and feel AWESOME about yourself. Next time you're flopped on the couch after a hectic day, just get up and do something for a half hour - your body is made to move, so GET MOVING!! :)

And if you need a little help with putting a quick routine together, here's a little help! No Excuses Workout