How many times have you said, “I will start later or tomorrow”?

We tend to put off tasks that we think may be unpleasant, or projects that we know will require a lot of work; yet, we forget in all of this, that we are only robbing ourselves of precious time. The one commodity that matters most after time, is not money, but health. Once you lose it, it can be very difficult to recover.

If you knew that you could take simple steps to get healthier and/or improve your health, would you be willing to give them a try?

physical fitness is not boring

Many seem to equate healthy with boring; however, being healthy is far from boring. You can do many simple things to make getting healthy fun, start with a walk.

If you love the outdoors, it is a great place to start improving your health. Brisk walking and climbing can improve cardiovascular fitness (improved cardiac output, decreased blood pressure and heart rate) as well as tone and strengthen muscles in the legs and arms. If you can, do a few short sprints up a hill, that will get the heart rate up and boost your oxygen capacity. If you cannot get to the trails, walk around the block or head to the park. Doing some moving is better than sitting at home in front of the television.

excess weight affects your mobility

Carrying excess weight puts a significant burden, not only on the heart, but also on your joints (for every 1 pound of excess weight, experts say the knees feel 3-4 pounds of force). Some even find it difficult to breathe as excess abdominal girth restricts the movement of the diaphragm and breathing becomes more shallow making less oxygen available to the body.

Get creative to make healthier choices more exciting. Add fresh fruit to give breakfast a boost or make your salads tasty and interesting. You can never go wrong with the berry family (blackberry, strawberry, raspberry & blueberry), which are high in antioxidants and a bunch of other vitamins and nutrients; plus, they are low in calories and high in taste.

Make your meals enjoyable for you. Add your favorite fruits and spices and enjoy the different blend of flavors. Your tastebuds will love you and your joints will thank you. It is one of the keys to sustainable weight loss and better health. Don’t wait until tomorrow, start today, make your next meal healthy and exciting. Take the first step to the healthier you right now. The choice is yours, has always been yours: “discipline is choosing between what you want now, and what you want most” *

what do you want most?

*Abraham Lincoln