So this time two years ago, or maybe it was four years ago, or even ten years ago…you were in tip-top shape. You were working out five days a week, and eating a burger from a fast food joint was at the very bottom of your list. Instead, you preferred a delicious grilled chicken salad or some grilled tilapia and fresh veggies…Working out was not a chore, it was a pleasure. You looked forward to the mornings you would hit the gym for an hour, working out on the treadmill or sweating it out in that jazz aerobics class! Feeling good and looking great were things you did with ease…

So what happened? Life happened…You had a baby, or maybe you lost your job, or perhaps you got married, or it was that bad separation from your mate of so many years. Perhaps your life changed when you lost someone close to you unexpectedly…whatever it was, it sent you into a totally different state of mind.

The five days a week turned into three and then none at all. That burger from Burger King was suddenly calling your name, just like that ice cream sundae from the local ice cream shop…Things changed and you got preoccupied.

One morning you wake up and your jeans do not fit anymore and your tank tops are too tight. When you went in for your physical last month, the doctor gave you a very concerned look. You have somehow gained, twenty, forty…maybe even sixty pounds and you can’t figure out how or when. So maybe you are that person that immediately gets back into the groove of things. You get your metabolism up by working out and staying active, you eat better and you drink a ton of water. Or maybe you’re not that person; maybe you are the one who has a much harder time getting back into the groove of things. You work out three days this week and not at all for the next two weeks. You eat healthy all week and on Saturday morning you have to have that Belgian waffle, cheese eggs and crispy bacon….

Regardless of how you get back into the groove, knowing this is something you must do to live healthier and feel better is the first step in making it happen. Taking things at a pace you are comfortable with while never giving up is a very good next step to take. Regardless of the route you take, do not hate yourself or let the changes you have gone through affect your life in a negative way. Do not close the closet door and wear those big, over-sized sweat pants everywhere you go!! Don’t refuse to go out with your girlfriends, with your boys, or with your mate because you have nothing to wear.

You don’t want to go up to a size ten when you have always worn a four…you do not dare step foot into those “PLUS” sizes because you have never worn anything larger than a size twelve. So you sit in misery because nothing fits anymore. Stop being afraid to shop and find something to fit the new you! Regardless of how long you will be the size you are today, go out and buy something new that looks good on you!

Forget what they say about buying bigger clothes because you plan to lose all that weight…What if your plan gets you the results you want in six months…but you die in five…?

Do you plan to live the last months of your life miserable and uncomfortable?

I say step out of the land of denial and go shopping. Open up your closet…and regardless of how temporary it may be, push those size tens to the back and make room for those size sixteens that really look good on you, today!