Small steps can shape your future

January 20, 2010
Making time

January is a peak time for gyms, but will you still be there in March?

A commitment to fitness sits high atop most New Year's resolution lists. Those who lack fitness want to get closer to it; those who are fit want to tweak, tone, maintain and manage.

Saddle-bagged with the aftermath of yuletide excess, most individuals find the concept of a sleek physique even further from their reach than before.

Thinking fit is one thing. Achieving fitness is a whole host of other things, many of them unpleasant because of the effort they demand.

The road to a better body is dangerously potholed with temptation and apathy. Health and nutrition experts advise us that the biggest stumbling block is an unrealistic goal.

Aiming too high is nothing more than laying the groundwork for ultimate failure. Fitness is best achieved in small increments.

The inescapable truth is that a trim, taut body is the reward for effort expended, persistence and dedication. There is no pill, powder or potion that will act as a quick fix and give the desired result.

The bottom line is that weight reduction can only be achieved when the amount of energy expended exceeds the amount of fuel being consumed. It takes exercise to improve fitness levels.

If that is unacceptable there can be no improvement.

Start gradually. The longest journey begins with the first steps.

It has also been said that the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. There is probably no more inappropriate analogy, but the idea remains a valid one.

Chat about exercise, health and weight loss in Essential Baby's Diet & Fitness forum.

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