Tips to Get Back to Fitness

So you took some time off this summer. Okay, well maybe you took the entire summer off.

Summer is over now, but not your life.

Now is the time to restart your good fitness habits and regain all the great benefits you were starting to appreciate.

You still want to look good and feel good but you're having a hard time getting back to your workout schedule.

You need to attack from the inside and the outside! These ideas can help:

• Put some "reminders" in plain sight. Reminders could be pictures to inspire you. Even better- position your hand weights or your walking shoes where you can't avoid stumbling over them if you don't pick them up and use them.

• Remember your positive effective self-talk, your personal and unique inner voice that coaches you and literally gets you going. It worked before and it can work again. No one ever regrets having healthy habits.

As for next summer, consider that the "future" is a figment of imagination. Live today the way you would like to live tomorrow.

What is it about summer that makes us want to take a break from our routine? Is it the warm weather? Moving to a different climate isn't against the law.

Workouts should feel good. Make adjustments to your workouts so they feel good during and after.

Half of fitness is eating well. Choosing your food from taste alone is almost pre-historic. You can do better. You need food that multi-tasks, food that's delicious AND nutritious.

If you have a "grab and go" eating style, then you may need to plan better to ensure that your choices are nutritious.

When shopping for food, don't be caught hungry and short of time:

• Avoid buying food at gas stations or quick marts. They mostly sell cravage- garbage foods that were designed to drive cravings without providing valuable nutrition.
• Buy groceries that you can eat or store in your kitchen, your car, and your handbag.

As you strive toward fitness remember that your habits become the fibers of who you are. Keeping habits for a long time changes those habits into fibers and threads, the fabric of the person you always wanted to be.

Don't give up. Use intention and perseverance to get you where you want to be. Intention and perseverance are qualities that everyone can develop.