Is It Time to Kick Your Butt Into Gear and Get Healthier?

It's Your Year - Are you ready to live healthier? If you've been living at less than optimum health, now is the time to kick your butt into gear! Whether you're looking to lose weight, eat better, stop smoking, or enjoy more energy, these seven steps for success will help you stay positive, stay motivated, and be on your way to the more fulfilling, active life that you know you can achieve.

Just one note: this is not another 'new' quick fix diet and exercise plan. If you're sick and tired of being presented with plans that promise you enormous benefits with little or no effort, then you're starting with the right attitude - and this is the plan for you. This is not another gimmick, miracle pill or secret plan. This is like getting specific directions to put you right on the path to your health and fitness goals. This plan is easy to implement -- just spend a few minutes following the surprisingly easy steps. This method will direct you and help convince you to improve your health and your life, even on the tightest of schedules.

Now that you're ready to take control of your health and kick your butt into gear, read on for the Seven Steps for Success! You'll want to get a pen and paper ready to do a little planning.
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Step 1: Decide & Commit
The first step toward better health and fitness involves nothing more than making a serious commitment and a promise to yourself to change some aspect of your lifestyle to become healthier. This means determining what is holding you back from being as healthy as you want to be, and then committing to making the changes necessary to actually follow through with those changes.

To do that, you first have to decide for yourself that right now you choose to start living a more healthy life. Once you've made the commitment to improve your health, you've got to figure out exactly how you will proceed. When you decide and commit to your goal, it's important to make it specific -- huge general goals are too difficult to follow through on. Start with one area of your fitness to focus on - whether it's exercise, eating less fast food, or whatever habits you've formed that you feel are detrimental to your overall health. Once you commit to one specific goal, don't be surprised if other healthy living practices just fall into place naturally!

Step 2: Pinpoint Your Health Disappointments
Once you've made your commitment to change, it's time to get down and dirty. Examine your lifestyle and determine why you want to make changes. The fact that you are reading this shows that you are motivated to change - so what have your health drawbacks been? Have you, for whatever reason, found yourself unable or unwilling to see a health goal through to the end? Do you have a low energy level? Are you unable to keep up with your kids? Do you find you have just enough energy to make it through the day and fulfill your present commitments, then drag yourself home?

The key here is to be brutally honest and pinpoint the exact causes of your health disappointments. Take that piece of paper and a pen, and write them down. No one enjoys dealing with disappointment, but by taking a few minutes to face yours head-on, you're putting yourself in a position to acknowledge the reasons behind your disappointments. When you do this, you're able to discover what you want to change and understand why you want to change it.

Step 3: Preview
Step 2 was a bit unpleasant, but Step 3 is a lot more fun! Now is when you get to take the time to preview what your life will become when you start living a healthier lifestyle. Actually visualize yourself running through the park with your kids, looking lean in clothes you were never comfortable wearing before, taking that skiing or hiking trip you've been putting off, or spending your evenings enjoying life rather than heading for the couch to nap after work.

This is your chance to spend several minutes thinking about how you'll feel when you're happy and healthy. Visualize the day when you're fit and energized, and the old days of carrying excess weight and feeling lethargic are just memories. And keep in mind, this isn't a dream - it's a preview of the reality to come. Just as you did with Step 2, write down the preview that is in your mind, paying special attention to the things you'll do, the way you'll feel, and the impact it will have on your life and the lives of your loved ones.

Step 4: Develop Your Plan of Action (You Know More than You Think!)
Now that you've developed an understanding of where you are, why you want to change, and how your life will improve, it's time to start putting those thoughts and concepts into action. One common mistake that many of us make is the tendency to just dive into the quickest, most accessible "diet" or "fitness plan." Before taking off, it's important to develop a plan of action designed specifically for your lifestyle. There are plenty of resources that can fill in the gaps of information. The most important of these is your physician. Schedule an appointment to discuss your plan with your doctor, and get his or her feedback to ensure that your plans are safe.

There are many other resources available as well, including local experts, dietitians, and instructors. The Internet is filled with plenty of quality resources as well, including Web MD, Real Life on Yahoo!, The Real Age online site, Discovery Health, That's Fit on AOL, the American Council of Sport Medicine, and many others. Just make sure to avoid fly-by-night gimmicks and stick to the resources that are tried and true.