If you’re like most, one of your New Year’s resolutions has something to do with: losing weight, getting in shape, exercising more, eating better or something along those lines. These things have been on my list of New Year’s resolutions for YEARS. However, in 2011, these things are NOT on my list of to-do’s for the year. Don’t get me wrong, that does not mean I going to let myself go or that I do not have to eat right or exercise. It just means that all of those things have become a part of my life in a way that works now. I no longer have to make a conscious effort to address them anymore.

So how does that happen? Well, for me, there was a turning point about six years ago. After looking at some of my summer vacation pictures, I realized that I was not happy with my physique in a bathing suit. I was probably 50 pounds overweight, well over 30% body fat, and had both high cholesterol and blood pressure.

I knew I had to make a change, so I started on my way. Figuring I could do it by myself, I spent the first three years of my journey basically spinning my wheels. I tried it all. I did different fad diets. I got an exercise bike and Bowflex machine (after all, who would not want to look like the Bowflex guy right?). I worked hard and was fairly disciplined about it. After three years of going on and off different fad diets and going through spurts of what I thought were good exercise programs, I could trim off some weight, but I was not really where I wanted to be, so I decided to get some help. There was a fitness studio opening nearby (www.reformfitness. com), so I called and setup an appointment. They were able to help set me up on a proper exercise and nutrition program and within a short amount of time I was able to reach and exceed my initial weight loss goals.

Interestingly enough, I discovered that once you reach your goals, you still need to be careful. Even after getting in shape, I found myself slowly increasing in body fat again. Luckily, I was monitoring this regularly at the fitness studio, so I was able to adjust and catch it. I guess I figured that because I was in shape and working out regularly, I could eat what I wanted and I would just work it off. I was slowly moving back to eating in my old ways (not by any means like I was before, but just a little here and a little there). So I counter-acted this by increasing my volume of exercise. This worked fine as far as results, but what I found was that I was working out 7-8 times a week just to maintain.That’s a lot of time and effort just to maintain! (Hey, I like exercise as much as the next guy, but this did not seem like a good long-term solution for me.)

I started studying food and worked with a nutritionist. I learned about the best foods to support my workouts, over- all health, and the foods that just made me feel good when I ate them.    After some trial and error, I found the perfect balance between the type, timing and amount of food I was consuming to support my ideal body composition and, ultimately, my health, all with a more reasonable amount of exercise. Once I found this balance, it was a magical place to be. The human body is truly amazing-- give it what it needs to function (proper nutrition and exercise) and your body will transform itself into its ideal body composition. You do not even have to set specific body weight or fat goals for yourself. Your body knows where it naturally needs to be and it will take you there automatically! And, I promise you will like the results!

For me, this is not something that happened overnight. It was a long process to find my ideal balance between food and exercise and, to be honest with you, if you think you can get six pack abs in six weeks, I have a feeling you are going to be disappointed in any program or diet you try. For me, making small changes over time was the only way I could have created a long lasting change in my body and life.

Diets don’t work! You can lose weight on a diet short-term, but most diets restrict something in order to lose weight, which is not a good long- term strategy. The bottom line is, if you go on a diet, eventually you have to come off a diet and if you go back to the food you were eating before, you will eventually gain the weight back (after all, the food you were eating was the cause of the weight gain in the first place).

This year, I challenge you to do something different. Don’t go on a diet...instead change your diet. How? Well, I’ll be providing some articles here in The Fountain to get you started. I know so many people are strug- gling with the same issues that I struggled with for years and I hate to see people continually spin their wheels. I remember what it was like and now that I have permanently crossed that thing off my list, I’m going to spend my energy helping others do the same. I’m also happy to meet with you individually. If I can help you get the results you long for and make you feel even half as good as I feel....that’s my new goal. Until then, don’t hesitate to give me a call. I would love to help you fast track your success and get ‘weight loss’ off of your to-do list once and for all! (760) 593-7512.