Getting started, part 3: You gotta love it

We've established that, as the first step of our plan to get healthy, we're going to concentrate on exercise before we even think about diet. The big question now remains, what sort of exercise?

Here's one of the many places I'm going to depart from conventional wisdom. If you've looked into starting an exercise program in the past, you're probably aware that many people will advise to follow a specific regimen. They'll tell you to run so many days a week, lift weights at other times, and sprinkle it all with a bunch of crunches and lunges. Or maybe they'll tell you to buy a set of videos or some gargantuan piece of equipment that will solve all your problems.

I'm here to tell you that it's all baloney.

The fact is, you have to find your own path. You have to find some type of exercise that you absolutely love and just do it. If you don't, if you try to follow a course set out by someone else, you're probably going to fail.

For me, that exercise is cycling. Now, I didn't know that it was cycling when I first had the idea that I wanted to start exercising, although in hindsight I probably should have. In fact, I went through several months of trial and error before I found cycling. I tried many different things. I tried walking. I tried running. I tried Tae-Bo and I tried a stationary bike. I even went out and bought a weight bench that, to this day, sits unused on my porch.

Finally, just when I was beginning to think of myself as lazy, I asked myself, "Just what DO you want to do?" I wasn't always this slothful couch potato. In fact, as a kid, I was so active that I was underweight throughout most of junior high and high school (which is something that causes me weight issues to this day, but more on that at a later time). So I started looking back at my childhood, trying to figure out what I used to do before I grew up and became lazy and overweight. And while I did a lot of things, from sports to Scouts to just running around like a maniac with friends, one thing that was constant was that I did a lot of my neighborhood traveling and spent a lot of my time on a bicycle.

A bicycle. Could it really be so simple? I had already tried a stationary bike and found it extremely boring. Even my plan to set it front of the TV to pass the time didn't work. But an actual bicycle ... that was different in my mind. As a child, and even to this day, a bicycle represented freedom. It meant that I could be responsible for getting my own butt across town to play with a friend. It provided challenges, such as popping wheelies, jumping ramps or simply trying to get to the top of a mountain. And coming down the other side of the mountain, it provided speed, exhilaration and adventure.

I decided to give it a try. I went to the local Wal-Mart and, armed with a lot of misconceptions and disinformation, decided to buy a $160 Mongoose mountain bike. Now, I can already hear the snickers from the serious cyclists out there. All I can say is, I didn't know at the time. I looked at the skinny little road bikes and just didn't think there was any way they could support my massive butt.

There were a lot of problems with that bike, starting with the perpetually warped front tire, and including the fact that it just didn't want to shift into about a third of the gears or that it was just so heavy that even gradual inclines were a challenge. But it got me started. And over the next year, I rode it about 800 miles. That probably isn't a whole lot to an avid, who might ride that many miles or more in a month, but it was a major feat for someone who (A) hadn't been on a bike in 20 years and (B) had added over 100 lbs. during that time.

Since then, I've replaced that old bike for something a little more suited to frequent riding, and I ride whenever I can. I look for excuses to ride.

And that's the key to exercise. You have to find something you love, something that isn't a chore to do, something that will inspire you to push yourself farther than you ever thought possible.

You might be like me and find that it's cycling, but probably not. It might be running. It might be swimming. It might be mountain climbing, or canoeing, or weight-lifting. It might even be that exercise video or gargantuan piece of equipment. But something IS out there. Just don't give up looking for it until you find it.

No matter what you might think right now, human beings weren't designed to just sit around, watching TV and stuffing their faces. Maybe you're guilty of that right now, but we're going to work on changing that. And maybe you can't see yourself enjoying any type of exercise, we're going to change that, too. You will ultimately discover that your body loves to move, loves to work.

So for now, just work on finding out what exercise is right for you. Maybe you'll find it by thinking back to when you were a kid.

And if you pick wrong at first, or even second and third, don't worry. Just move on to something else. Keep trying new activities until you find that certain something that makes you say, "This is what I was meant to do."

Now, once you have an activity, what do you do? Well, you do it, of course! But start slow. Here is where a lot of people make a mistake. They get it in their heads that they want to lose 50 lbs. by next month, and they get gung-ho about exercising all the time. But pretty soon, they discover that there just aren't enough hours in a day, and they start slacking off, and they start feeling guilty, and then they just quit altogether, thinking wrongly that it's an all or nothing proposition and, if they can't do it all the time, there's no point in doing it at all.

No, you're going to start slow. And if you're in bad enough shape, that probably won't be a problem. To start, just try to find a half-hour a day, three times a week. No matter how hectic your schedule, that should be pretty easy to do.

Just make sure that half-hour counts. You want to spend that half-hour hot and sweaty, out of breath with your heart racing. Why? Because when you get your heart rate up and keep it up for 20 or 30 minutes, your body kicks into fat-burning mode. And once your body starts burning fat, it doesn't stop for a couple of hours. So you want to make sure you take advantage of that "free" fat burning.

At first, we're looking at three times a week, and you should probably NOT exercise on consecutive days. One key to exercise is that in addition to exercise, you also have to give your body time to recover and heal. So look at a Monday-Wednesday-Friday routine, or Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday.

After a week or two of this, you can add another day if you like. Ideally, you want to work up to exercising at least five days a week, but we're not ready for that yet. Right now, you're just trying to get in good enough shape to exercise.

But as you start out, prepare yourself for pain. If you're doing it right, you should be sore the day after you exercise. Do not let this discourage you. This pain is your friend. This pain is your clearest indicator that you are shedding all of that sloth and laziness from your life. This pain is a badge of honor.

So what are you waiting for? Get busy! But just as importantly, have fun!

Getting started, part 2: Choose exercise first

Okay, now that you're properly motivated to make positive changes in your life, where do you begin? After all, if you're looking at cleaning up your diet and getting in shape, you're facing a whole lot of change in your life and it can be a daunting task just figuring out what to do first.

I recommend starting with exercise, and there are several reasons for this.

First, exercise will most immediate, most noticeable impact on your life. It's been my experience that, once you get settled into an exercise routine, your body begins to choose healthier paths of its own accord. Suddenly you start to crave all those vitamins and minerals that are in vegetables. You start to shun those cheeseburgers, because you know they're just going to sit in your stomach like a ball of lead when you're out running or cycling or doing aerobics.

Second, when you're making drastic changes in your life, I think it's better to start with active changes, like exercising, than passive ones, like not eating certain foods. For one, you will gain a certain level of pride from tackling those active changes. For another, it's just mentally easier to concentrate on doing something, rather than not doing something.

Finally, there is no point trying to adjust your diet when you begin an exercise program, especially if you've been hitherto leading a slothful existence. That's because your body is going to suddenly be going through a whole range of adjustments which will be counterproductive to dieting.

I'll explain. Now, everyone is different, but you can probably expect, upon starting a fitness regimen, your appetite is going to plummet. That might sound counterintuitive at first, but that's just the way it goes. In fact, your mouth might spend a lot more time as an exit than an entrance that first week or two. When I first got serious about cycling, I told people that it was suddenly easy to eat right and not smoke, because who wants to eat or smoke when you're busy puking your guts out and coughing up a lung? Don't worry, you've probably got plenty of fat to live off of to get you through it.

After that first week or two, though, your appetite will return ... with a vengeance. Again, don't worry about it. You might feel like you're undoing all of your exercise by pigging out afterwards -- and you probably are -- but right now it's important to just listen to your body. You've been living a life of relatively little exertion, and now you're upping the ante quite a bit. Your body is just like any other machine, and once it starts using more energy, it's going to require a lot more fuel. At this point, you are building strength, and even if you're eating too many calories, you're probably better off eating too much rather than too little.

Eventually, that monstrous appetite will go away. Your body will become more efficient at converting and burning energy, and you will find yourself eating about the same amount as you did before you started exercising. Once you get to that point (again, it varies with the individual, but probably about a month after you start), you'll be ready to start thinking about your diet.

Okay, so we've determined that you need to begin with exercise. Come back tomorrow and we'll start talking about what type exercise to do.

Reasons for motivation

Okay, so you've had a couple of days to try to find the motivation needed to make positive changes in your life. However, in the event you are still having trouble finding the willpower you need, I thought today I would offer just a few reasons that fitness is so important to our lives. Hopefully, you will find something below to give you the mental and emotional fuel you are going to need.

You are probably in worse shape that you realize. Statistics show that most adults are now either overweight or obese. And it's easy to add those extra pounds before you even realize it. In my case, I went from thinking I was thin to thinking I was "average." And, unfortunately, that probably was the case, considering that the average today is skewing toward the overweight. It took being confronted with reality over and over to finally realize I had a problem.

Want to find out where you stand? Here's one easy trick. Grab a measuring tape and wrap in around your midsection, at the belly button. Just go straight around, not dipping anywhere like you might for a belt. And feel free to suck in your stomach.

Now, what's the verdict? If your measurement is higher than 35 inches for a male or 32 inches for a female, you need to lose weight. But don't fret -- at least you now have a target to aim at.

Fat around the middle is one of the best indicators of future medical problems. Being overweight anywhere isn't good, but having that "beer gut" is not only not very sexy, it's a pretty clear sign that you are headed toward an early grave. That's because belly fat is different from fat in other parts of your body.

While fat in your hips, thighs and butts is just sort of hanging there, belly fat is far more pernicious. That's because it is invading your internal organs, and making it more difficult for your body to function properly. High blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and some cancers (including breast and prostate) all become more likely as that belly grows.

So fellas, if you're suffering from Dunlop disease (your belly has "dunlopped" over your belt), you need to realize that, without intervention, you're not just more likely to suffer health problems in the future. It is certain. You WILL have health problems, your life WILL be shorter, and your remaining years WILL grow more and more unpleasant. Is that double bacon cheeseburger with super-size fries and pop really worth it?

Clean out your medicine cabinet. Fill up your wallet. What prescriptions are you taking? Since Americans are the most medicated people on earth, chances are you're taking some pill for some malady, and probably more than one.

But anyone who goes to the doctor knows that there's a nasty secret they never tell you about: Every time you're prescribed a pill for one condition, you are certain to suffer side-effects, some of which will require more medication.

But there's also another secret: With proper diet and exercise, you could very possibly stop taking all of them. Just by simply eating right and getting an hour of exercise most days of the week, you can not only lose weight, you can also improve your blood pressure, lower your cholesterol, improve the health of your heart and arteries, maintain proper blood sugar, eliminate asthma, even improve your mood. Simply losing 5 percent of your body weight (10 pounds for a 200-pound adult) can have a sudden and dramatic effect on all of these problems. And getting rid of some or all of those prescriptions could have a sudden and dramatic effect on your wallet.

This gets to the whole heart of our blog: There are no shortcuts. Choosing to take a pill instead of eating right and exercising might temporarily relieve one problem, but it will probably invite a host of others down the road.

Just remember this caution: If you are currently taking a prescription for any condition, DO NOT STOP without first consulting with your doctor. Even the simplest medications can cause you all sorts of problems if you suddenly stop taking them. It may take longer than you expect for your body to respond to healthier living, and your doctor may want to gradually decrease your dosage to ease you off your medication to prevent complications. KEEP TAKING THE MEDICINE YOU NEED, UNTIL A DOCTOR TELLS YOU YOU NO LONGER NEED IT.

Get some sleep. Do you suffer from insomnia? Instead of taking a sleeping pill and feeling groggy the next day, or taking one of these new prescription sleeping medicines with all their side-effects, why not try working out?

Get more done. This might seem contradictory, but doing more can actually make you feel like doing more. There might be someone in your life you regularly jogs, cycles or works out, and still finds a way to balance the demands of work and family with ease, and you wonder how they are able to do everything they have to do and still exercise. But the trick is that they are able to get these things done because they exericise. Regular exercise improves your energy level and increases your strength, resulting in you feeling like you can get more done, both physically and mentally.

But if you're currently a couch potato, don't expect to become a dynamo overnight, just because you went to the gym once. Your body will need time to get stronger before you start seeing the effects. So, when you first start out, you can expect to be more tired and in more pain, until your body adjusts. Just remember that the aches you feel today are actually your body becoming stronger.

It's never too late until you're dead. You are never too out-of-shape, too unhealthy or too old to make changes in your life. In extreme situations, you might need to start slower, but there is no reason why you cannot embrace a healthy life. If you have health problems, just be sure you consult with a doctor to develop a diet and exercise plan that is right for you.

Well, as we can see, I could write endlessly about reasons to diet and exercise. But hopefully, in the few I've listed above, you can find something that will help you make that decision to live a healthier life.

Getting started, part 1: Finding motivation

So, it's around about New Year's, and you've made a resolution to lose weight, get back in shape, something. Great! Sometimes the first stumbling block is simply summoning the desire to make a change.

But there is another, larger obstacle ahead, and unfortunately it's one many people never conquer -- getting started.

There is a vast ocean between wanting to change and actually getting started, and the one thing you need to bridge that gulf is motivation.

But wait? Isn't simply wanting to change motivation enough? Sadly, no. People are nothing if not creatures of habit, and we would often rather settle for the familiarity of lost dreams than the discomfort of embarking into territory unknown. You see it every day in the vast number of people who choose to say, "I wish," instead of, "I will."

I know. I've been there. After high school, I spent 20 years working a desk job and spending the rest of my time eating, smoking and watching TV. During all that time, I knew I was getting fatter and unhealthier by the day, and although I didn't like that, I did little to counteract it. Oh sure, I attempted to quit smoking from time to time, and there were a few half-hearted attempts to lose weight or exercise, but nothing stuck for long, usually not for a day.

Wishes are easy. Actions are also easy, at least easier than you think if you are guilty of putting them off. Bridging the two, however, is the single most difficult step. Wishes can be made, actions can be taken, but motivation must be discovered, and sometimes that it is elusive.

And before we get much further, know this: The changes I am talking about are wholesale lifestyle changes. You don't need motivation to take a pill or go on a diet for six weeks, just a modicum of willpower. But pills and diets do not work. They might be useful as temporary solutions to temporary problems, and they produce temporary results.

Health and fitness, however, are not temporary conditions. They require constant commitment, or they disappear. And they require some sacrifice, such as getting off your butt and giving up eating many of your favorite foods without abandon. In short, they require you to find true motivation. That's where I derived the first part of this site's motto, "No shortcuts."

So where can you find motivation? After all, we already know all the reasons for proper diet and exercise. We know they will make us healthier, happier, stronger, more energetic, more attractive. But vague concepts simply are not enough to spur us into action. To be motivated, we need concrete reasons for change.

For example, if you want to lose weight, you simply will not succeed if your reasons are to "you know ... be healthier and happier and all that other stuff." Your reasons must be tied to your individual circumstance.

For me, fear and education were the great motivators. (I'll get into all the specifics at a later time.) I didn't stop smoking until I was presented with some very real health concerns, and even then it took two years of trying and failing before I was successful. Quitting smoking led to the next step, which was wanting to get rid of the few extra pounds that came from not smoking anymore ... plus the many more that were the result of eating like a pig. For that, I chose exercise. And while some weight did come off, it didn't really start to happen until, on a whim, I had my cholesterol checked for the first time and found that I was a ticking time bomb. That led to a radical change in my diet.

I won't lie. The changes I made were difficult at times, but they were nowhere near as difficult as the struggle to find the motivation to make them. And to be honest, if I hadn't been facing some serious health consequences as a result of my actions, I don't know if I would have ever found that motivation.

If you ever hope to be serious about making health changes in your life, you have to find similar motivation. It's probably already there; you've been ignoring it or deluding yourself about it for years. You probably already know the consequences of inaction, but then again there is so much conflicting information out there, you may have been telling yourself the wrong things, or that there are no right answers.

Fortunately, that's not true. Good information is out there, but you have to look for it amid all the clutter. That's not always easy, since bad information is both louder and more prevalent. Slick sales pitches for the latest "miracle drug," "celebrity diet" or "no-effort fitness system" can be convincing ... until you try them and fail.

One source to which I frequently turn is a newsletter called Nutrition Action, which is published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Their website offers some information for free, but you have to subscribe to get the full content. Luckily, there is also quite a bit of info out there for free. Two good sources to turn to are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's page on obesity and the American Heart Association's pages on Diet and Nutrition and Cholesterol.

Educating yourself is the surest course to motivating yourself. Once you know for certain what your unhealthy lifestyle is doing to you, you will be more inclined to want a healthier life. The social stigma of obesity is bad enough, but it's really only a minor nuisance compared to the higher risks of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and depression that accompany it.

You want to live a healthy life, but you can only begin to do so once you are armed with the knowledge and motivation you will need to get you started. I will try to help by sharing the things I have learned, but it's up to you to do the physical, mental and emotional heavy lifting. That begins by searching within yourself and finding the concrete reasons you want to live a healthier life, as well as learning the consequences you face if you don't.

When you're ready to get started, I'll be here to help you along the way.

A great way to get motivated starts tonight

Just a quick note this morning:

Whether you need to lose a few extra holiday pounds or a whole bunch of weight that has accumulated over the years, one of the keys to succeeding is to stay motivated. One of my favorite ways, and one that was most responsible for getting me started in the first place, returns to television tonight when the new season of The Biggest Loser debuts on NBC.

Now, I know that sitting on the couch in front of the boob tube is probably what gets most of us in trouble with our weight in the first place. But if you're going to be there anyway, you could do a lot worse than to fill your time with a show that will inspire you to make changes in your life and educate you about nutrition and fitness.

It all gets started tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Get ready!

Welcome to Fitness Isn't Easy. On this page, I aim to share my personal thoughts, insights and rants concerning a topic that has become very important to me over the past couple of years -- diet and exercise.

If you're like me, you probably find it very confusing these days to know just how you're supposed to take care of yourself. It seems we are being fed a consistent diet of inconsistent information about how to take care of ourselves. In the end, we're usually left with more questions than answers. Low-fat or low-carb? Weights or aerobics? Pills, surgery or diets?

And even when we bother to find out the answers, they're not always very clear. Sometimes, it seems like it would be better to know less. There was a time, for example, when we could rest assured that fat and cholesterol were bad things. Nowadays, though, we know that there is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, good fats and bad fats, and they're generally differentiated by confusing acronyms like LDL and HDL, or polysyllabic nightmares such as saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

It's no wonder that many people simply throw up their hands and forget it. And, in turn, it's no wonder that the human race is growing fatter and fatter.

In 2007, I found myself with a dilemma. I had just turned 38 and stepped on a scale to find my weight had reached an all-time high of 280. Suddenly, I could see two numbers very clearly on the horizon -- 40 and 300. There wasn't much I could do about the 40, but I was hell-bent to do something to prevent that 300 from becoming reality.

Since that time, I've experienced a fitness conversion of almost religious proportions, and today I'm proud to say that, while I will still be turning 40 this year, my weight is now closer to 200 than 300. To get to that point, I had to educate myself and make wholesale lifestyle changes. And I encountered many false hopes and blind alleys along the way.

It hasn't been easy, and that's sort of the whole point of this website. The formula is simple and only requires two steps: (1) Get off your butt, and (2) stop shoving so much junk down your piehole. It's the execution that is hard, but just because it's difficult, that doesn't mean it has to be unpleasant.

I'm excited about this site. In my posts, I hope to share some of the tips I've found that have helped me, as well as some of the pitfalls and chimeras you need to avoid. We will get started on all of that soon.

For now, however, if you find yourself in similar shape to where I was back on that day in 2007, the best thing you can do right now is start preparing yourself mentally. Making the choice to live healthier is easy, and after some time, living a healthier life is pretty easy too. The hard part is getting started.

So for now, don't worry about making any changes to your diet or your physical activities. Just start telling yourself that a change is coming and it will be difficult. If you spend a few days telling yourself that over and over, you will find the burden much easier to bear.

See you soon!