You have heard it said over and over again. “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.”

This is a strong argument against a sedentary life. The reason I am sharing this is because of you. I have met countless people in the course of my active life who always ask me the same question: “How do you do it?”

Here are a few insights I have gathered over the years.

Self—motivation

It is not going to be your family, gym trainer, parish priest or best friend who will give you the passion to pursue anything. It has to be you. And only you.

Where does it come from? Search within you and ask yourself one life — changing question. “How do I see myself 10 years from now?”

Draw a picture in your mind. Are you weak and frail? Or are you strong and energetic?

The choice is yours. You cannot take a neutral position on this. A decision needs to be made by you — now.

The urgency of now

Because time can be cruel, any minute you waste away with inactivity is doing your health an injustice. This is how serious it can be. No more excuses. No room for hesitation. The time to make that move is now. The awareness of the nowness of time is only equal to your desire to act decisively. It can be as simple as taking a ten minute walk daily. This could lead up to 30 minutes a day after two weeks. That’s not so bad, is it?

But today will never return. With each breath you take, yesterday has arrived. Appreciate the importance of seizing the moment.

Discipline

Now set your targets. Example: Weight loss ( or weight gain) of ten pounds in 30 days. This is doable! Asking the help of a nutritionist could speed up matters. This will allow you to reach your health goals safely and surely.

But that “get up and go” drive is firmly implanted in your commitment to yourself. So, let me ask you. How committed are you? Again, you decide.

Reward system

Assign a prize to yourself. Gift yourself something from a pat on the back to a total make — over. No, it isn’t that huge slice of decadent chocolate cake. Well, maybe a little.

Afterall, once you have mastered your body and how it reacts to your food preferences, then you will trust yourself enough to make the right choices (calories notwithstanding).

Do it at home

• Warm—up — March in place for 10 minutes.

• Jumping jacks — Try this for five minutes.

• Squats — 15 times. Two rounds.

• Lunges — Go easy on the knees. This is optional. Try 5 gentle lunges per leg.

• Crunches — lie on your back, knees bent. Sit up halfway. Do this 15 times, 2 sets.

• Leg/knee raises — With bent knees, raise the leg up to the waist area. Repeat on either side. Do two sets.

• Wall push—ups — Do two sets of 15 reps.

This is for beginners. You can add more sets as you go along.

Juice of the day: Celery cleanse

Wash five stalks of celery thoroughly. Juice it. Drink up on an empty stomach. Wait 45 minutes before having a meal.

Note: Celery takes getting used to. But if you want a good cleansing with weight loss benefits, thus is the vegetable of choice.

Beauty regimen : Olive oil

Dab olive oil on the rough parts of your body daily. It works wonders. Best done just before bedtime.

Affirmation: The time is now. And I will seize it.

Love and Light.