Today's Tip: Need Motivation to Exercise? Picture your future self...

Are you struggling with getting motivated to eat right and exercise regularly?  Here's an idea...picture your future self: Are you going to be fit, or are you going to be heavy, unhealthy, and wheezing to get up a flight of stairs?

Imagine the cost of not exercising -- what you're going to look like and feel like.  Then imagine the benefits 20 years from now - that vision can be very motivating!

Consider Sara, who in 2007 when she lived in Boston, found herself heckling marathoners from the sidelines with a group of rowdy friends. "I was sucking on a cigarette, drinking yet another adult beverage and snacking on what was NOT a healthy choice," she recalls. "Then I noticed a thin, gray-haired, sort of hunched-over runner. He was at mile 23 of the Boston Marathon and around his neck was a sign that read, '75 years old. 25th marathon.'  Wow did I feel ashamed of myself." She began ditching her crummy habits and took up running. Taking care of herself became addictive: She lost 45 pounds, finished a marathon, and greatly diminished the fibromyalgia pain that had plagued her for years. "Getting fit got me healthy, and I now feel fantastic about myself," she says. "I'm not perfect. But my eating habits are much better, and I actually care about my body!"

Maybe you aren't a runner. What you choose to do in the area of exercise isn't the important thing - just choosing something is.  Whether it's setting a goal to run a marathon or to simply get to an exercise class three times a week, the key thing is get moving!  Many people benefit from finding an exercise partner - one that you workout with a few times a week and who also keeps you accountable on the days you can't get together in person.

Some people need a personal trainer to get them started. Many of my clients have told me time and time again that if they weren't coming to workout with me or in one of my classes they would have a difficult time exercising.  Don't beat yourself up if you aren't one of those people who jump up every morning and can't wait to start a workout (yes, there are a few of us out there!).  Just picture the shape you want to be in and start making plans to get there.