One day, you wake up, look in the mirror and you see someone you didn't know was there. You swear to your self you're going to do everything in your power to get back in shape. After all, you will have grandchildren in a few years and you want to be able to chase them around the same way you did your own children. It feels like you've headed down this path several times in your life, but this time it has to work. You need to stick with it and get back in shape before it's to late and you slip down the slope to unhealthy living. So many have been there before you and many will go there after you. These tips will help you get on and stay on the path to wellness.

• Start a Fitness Plan: Jumping into anything without a plan can lead to failed attempts. While getting up off the couch is an excellent start, you need to put together some type of plan. Dedicate certain days and times to exercise will help you establish a pattern. Once your pattern in established you will find it easier to exercise regularly. For example, designate three or four days of the week as wellness days and exercise on those days exclusively. This will give you time to rest in between and make the act and idea of exercising less exhausting.
• Take Notice of What You Eat: Monitoring your eating patterns is a great way to start to correct them and begin your path to healthy living. Many diet experts recommend keeping a journal and I couldn't agree more. Writing what you eat down enables you to really conceptualize how much you've been eating. By keeping a log of your eating habits you will be able to:
  • Find healthy or unhealthy eating patterns
  • Realize exactly how much you are eating
  • Decide what parts of your diet are unhealthy and eliminate them
• Make it A Social Thing: If you're the type of person who enjoys social interaction, you may find it easier to stick to a wellness routine if you have a partner. Having a friend to cycle or walk with can turn a dull routine into something more exciting. Making your exercise routine a social experience opens the door to one on one activities like tennis, basketball or racket ball. These activities allow you to have fun while staying in shape. Having a partner will also make you less likely to skip an exercise day since you will be compromising someone else's goals as well as your won.
• Create Short Term Goals: Even with the best intentions it's easy to fall of your path to a healthier life style. As a society set in immediacy we often expect immediate results. Unfortunately, it takes awhile to put the weight on and the same it true to take it back off. Your ultimate goal may be to lose 30 pounds but that can take awhile and you may become disappointed with your progress and throw in the towel. Instead of focusing solely on your main goal, create smaller goals on the way. For example, set goals in five or ten pound increments. Meeting these goals will keep you satisfied with your progress and make getting to your goal a little easier.
• Have a Back Up Plan: When you workout three days a week, missing one day can send you on a downward spiral to in-activeness. Once you fall off the path it's not always easy to get back on; for this reason it's important to have a backup plan. While your regular exercise routine may consist of three days of cycling or running there will be days when things like weather will prevent you from getting out and fulfilling your wellness goals. By having a simple backup routine that can be done in your home you will find it easier to stay on track even when you can't follow your normal exercise pattern.