One of my favorite success quotes talks about having a single, overriding objective and making everything else in life bend towards helping you to attain that objective. Well I've got a challenge for you. I am literally daring you to make your weight loss goals the single, overriding objective to which you will make other things bend this month. Am I asking you to put your weight loss absolutely first? Before Family? Before Work? Certainly not! Of course there will always be things in your life that will be more important to you than this. However, I do believe that the list of things more important than your own weight loss and fitness is a short one. I also believe that even many things that are more important can be modified to help accommodate this part of your life. There's also a point to be made that without your health, nothing else matters anyway. I mean think about it. Obesity is either a root cause or an aid in almost every major deadly disease and condition. I think that calls for your fitness and weight loss program to be just a bit of a top priority. Wouldn't you agree? I thought so. Now if you haven't been prioritizing your program I don't want you to go beating up on yourself. That's not what this is about. Instead of dwelling on what you may not have done, put in some extra effort this month to find ways to make SURE that you are making the time and resources available to yourself that you need to stay in shape.

1. Schedule Your Exercising, Keeping it Simple and Easy This sounds oh, so simple. But you wouldn't believe how many people I talk to who "try" to get a workout in "if they can get around to it", and never do. Look, the reality is that most busy people these days will not be able to get to the gym or even be able to workout at home every day. And the good news is that you don't have to. Get out your planner and really take a hard look at your schedule. If nothing else, you will need to find 3 to 5 days in a week that you can set aside at least 30 minutes for some cardio. Of course you will get better results with 5 days, but it is more important that you are doing something than doing a lot. Try to plan activities that are easily accessible and even fun if you can. A cardio funk class at a gym that's near by. Jogging while you walk the dog around the neighborhood. Sticking your favorite cardio DVD into the player and "working it out". Do whatever is easy, simple, and hopefully fun. You want to set yourself up for success, so don't try and complicate the issue.
2. Plan Your Grocery Shopping for Weight Loss Create a "master list" of all of the healthy foods that you'll need to get through the week eating healthy. Go and get them all at once and them stock them at home. This way, you will always have healthy food options that will help you in your weight loss goals. You also won't be caught off guard with the "munchies" and nothing to snack on in the house but your children's (or significant other's!) junk food. You can also plan to take certain snacks to work with you that can help you stay away from the temptations of doughnut-and-pizza-peddling co-workers.
3. Take Advantage of Weekend Time The fact of the matter is that for most people, the weekend is the only time when they have complete control over what they do during the day. Why not take advantage of this time to make sure you get in a little jog or some aerobics or even biking in the morning or afternoon when you are having some down time? Look at it this way: you'll be knocking out 2 days of workouts before the week even begins. Then, based on your personal program, you will only have to worry about doing it again 1,2, or 3 days. This will go a long way to take some pressure off of you so that you won't feel like you failed just because you got busy for a day or two and truly just could not get around to doing anything for your body. Using this tactics will go along way in making sure that you are able to stick with your program and not quit---even during times when your schedule is hectic and keeping up is rough.
4. One Day at a Time Most people won't tell you this, but having the discipline to stay in shape---especially in the eating department---is something that usually is gradual and takes some time. And I know this from personal experience. It actually took me a year or two before I could really stick to a diet and exercise plan without fouling it all up. And to be honest, it is still a challenge even for me. Therefore, there is absolutely no reason why should feel defeated if you mess up on any given day. Just get back on the horse and commit to yourself that you'll get it the right the next; and then the next; and then the next. And when you slip up again. Get over it quickly and do better the next day.

I know this all sounds pretty simplistic. That's because it really is simple. What makes it so challenging is that ugly four-syllabal word called C-O-N-S-I-S-T-E-N-C-Y. Its what separate people who achieve from those who don't in virtually any endeavor. But the bottom line of it all is that if the days that you do the right things far out way the days you do the wrong things, you will be truly successful in the end. And yes, it really is that simple. To YourBestBody, Lawrence Cole
Your Lifestyle and Fitness Coach Read this Weight Loss Article at YourBestBodyNOW.com.