Food.

More food.

Extra food.

Deserts.

Couch.

Tv.

Inactivity.

A truly deadly combination leading to all kinds of health problems. Don’t believe me? Just google “obesity related health problems”. Stroke and diabetes are just few of those problems.

Perhaps switching few things around may help.

Healthy food.

Walking and movement.

Can’t walk? Too cold? Stay inside – do squats, lunges, burpees, jumping jacks. Jump rope in front of TV.

And most of all think happy thoughts and be grateful for what you got.

Controlling weight is not easy.

Finding motivation, making a plan, scheduling and executing and making new habits is always a challenge.

But none of the above can happen if first we do not take responsibility for our past and current actions.

Taking responsibility is empowering. It gives you control and ability to change.

Yes, it is very easy and comforting to blame it all on someone or something else. There are tons of excuses out there.

But if you blame it on someone else, and it’s their fault then you have no power. They are responsible and you are a victim, powerless to change a thing.

Take the power, and realize that only you can control weight. Take responsibility for your health and weight.

What you do today, dictates where you will be tomorrow.

It is the only way to get stronger.

Lets be honest here – working on a weakness is uncomfortable, painful and agonizing.

Unfortunately, the only way to address a weakness is to work on it and go through the discomfort and shame.

Why is it so tough, anyway? My guess is that a along with legitimate physical discomfort there is much mental distress – our ego gets uncomfortable. We ignore our weaknesses to feed ourselves a story of how awesome we are. Focusing on a weak link, brings us to a reality that we may not want to see.

Regardless of what we want, our weak links are here to stay unless we look at them, examine weakness in detail and address it.

What is your weak spot and what are you doing to address it?

Russian Kettlebells will save your life and sanity (if you do them, of course).

How?

We have stress from time to time. Some of us love the adrenaline and choose (sometimes subconsciously) to bathe in stress any time we get a chance.

For most, however, stress is a red flag indicating that we are not spending enough time on things that are important and non urgent.

There are only 24 hours in a day. Everyone wants something… Ugly urgencies creep up and inject us with deadly ooze of stress. Without a system to prevent it, there is no escape.

Not sure what I mean? Visit to a doctor is perfect example.

If we focus on the important and non urgent (walking, exercise, stretching, proper nutrition) then a visit to a doctor is going to be a routine check up. Walk in a park – no stress!

If, however, we let things go and force our body to confront us (chronic joint and muscle pain, heart disease, cancer) then a doctor’s visit becomes a very stressful endeavor.

Your health is important, wouldn’t you agree? We have only one body and yet, somehow, health is close to the bottom of our priority lists for most.

Give yourself a gift of health, vitality and energy. You deserve it! After all, you are the best person you know!

Pick up a kettlebell and go to something useful!

Do you have a fitness vision? “I want to lose some weight” doesn’t count.

What is the ultimate fitness outcome you are looking for?

Where you end up down the road depends what you do and think today.

They key is tap into your desire (hey, you are the only one who knows what you want) and come up with an outcome, the vision for your health and fitness.

Make it big. Make it desirable and fun.

Do you see it?

Personally, I want to be the hottest grandpa around (I have good 20-30 years before becoming a grandpa, but hey, it’s a vision). My fitness outcome is to be functional, strong and more fit in my 60′s and 70′s than guys in their 20′s and 30′s.

My health and fitness vision includes:

• Total physical independence
• Strength and stamina to enjoy my life through out my 50′s, 60′s, 70′s and 80′s
• No joint or muscle pain
• Running around and playing with my grand kids (I’ll be having quite a few!)
• Being able to hike, walk or run well into my 80′s (stay the heck away from Rascal Scooter)

When I read my list (I look over it daily), it makes me want to go and do something for my health RIGHT NOW!

Very powerful motivator. Anytime I’m thinking ‘exercise..boo’, going over the list gets me off my behind. It works.

Do yourself a favor and create a fitness and health vision for yourself.

Where do you see yourself in ten, twenty, thirty or forty years? Wheelchair or bike seat? It is your choice, you know… What you do today, will determine what happens tomorrow.

What’s your fitness vision?