Exercise is essential to maintaining good health. We have heard many times.  If you don’t particularly care for exercise, you have probably heard this phrase times more than you like.  That is especially true if the one saying it is your significant other.  In fairness to them, it is probably being said because they are concerned about you.  That doesn’t sound any better, but it is probably being said out of concern for you.

We constantly hear about Americans being overweight, and a large number of us are.  Our society has changed drastically since I was a child.  I ate breakfast every morning, ate lunch at school, and my mother cooked dinner for the family every night.  After college, I got married and we had two children.  Our family routine was different from my experience growing up.  For us to make ends meet, my wife has had to work most of our married life.  As our children grew older, I often had to take one child while my wife had to take the other to whatever activity they had that night.  We usually stopped in a fast food place because we didn’t have time to do anything else.  Cooking dinner at home with all of us being able to sit at the table was not a normal evening at our house while our children were young.  As they got to high school, the only change seemed to be that we did not have to take them.  Since it was only my wife and I, we ate out often.  Most families I know had similar experiences. That resulted in a terrible diet for most American families.  We consume too many calories from all the wrong food groups, which means getting overweight cannot be avoided. Today, nearly 40% of all Americans over the age of 50 are overweight.

Exercising is probably easier to do than you think.  It doesn’t have to be a commitment to two hours a day in the gym.  Exercise can come in many forms.  It also doesn’t have to be very costly.  Walking in a nearby park, or around your neighborhood can provide all the exercise you need.  There are also options available at your local YMCA or other facility.  Your commitment is key.  Devote time to planning how much time your plan will require and what disruption it may cause to the family.  if you think it is something you want to proceed with, talk to your significant other.  There will likely be some disruptions to family events, and their participation will help alleviate family squabbles.

Plan to start your program slowly and then increase as you progress.  Don’t think the benefits will show up instantly.  Set reasonable expectations.  Keep track of where you are in your plan and how much progress you have made.
Focus on what you are expecting to do.  That is the part of the plan that you can control.  The part that you cannot control is how much weight you have lost.  Stick to your plan and the pounds will come off.