A healthy diet and regular exercise is the key to maintaining your weight and living an energetic lifestyle.

To stay at a certain weight it is important first to understand how our bodies burn calories. Simply put, calories are fuel.
How much gas you put in your tank and
how much you use is relative to how many calories you have burned.

Well, if it's so easy, why do so many of us struggle with obesity and other weight issues? Our lifestyles have changed dramatically over the years to a point where we hardly move throughout the day unless we make plans to do so. Our children are being raised to sit and watch television, play video games, and work with computers. That means they are not getting the proper amount of fresh air, sunshine, or activity that builds healthy muscles and bones. While we spend the majority of our time sitting with work or entertainment, it is often accompanied with eating. The result of this is weight gain because we have stored the calories instead of burning them with activities.

The other side affect is low energy levels, a heart that is overworked, poor lung capacity and heightened chance of serious disease or early death, depression, lack of concentration and mood swings may also occur in these individuals.

Human beings are mammals and mammals require regular exercise to have a healthy existence.

I have worked with horses for many years and will use their behaviour in comparison to ours. A person who is high strung or has behavioral problems can be an example of energy overload. This can be directly related to the amount of nervous energy they have stored and how much they have used.

Let's look at a very energetic, athletic, well behaved and brilliant equine. If you watch it through the day you will witness it playing with other horses and galloping from time to time through the field for the pure joy of running. It will at times exert itself in play to the level of exhaustion. It will then relax, cool off and resume eating, rest or even take a nap. This is nature at its best. Movement for fun!

Now imagine the same animal, take it and place it in a box stall, continue to feed it the same amount of food and leave it there.

Guess what happens? This very good natured beast gradually becomes agitated, starts to kick the stall walls, weaves back and forth, nips at passers by and in general behaves like a totally different being. Any experienced rider knows never to get on this animal until they have allowed it to go out and burn off its excess energy. This enables the horse to regain its pleasurable personality and it will once again be capable of thinking.

The other dramatic change in the confined being is weight gain. Because of the amount of food (energy) that is consumed has not been decreased, excess calories (energy) are stored in the form of fat. Our athletic equine quickly becomes frumpy.

The horse will also become very stiff and clumsy due to lack of movement.

We, as humans, are exactly the same. When we lead a sedentary lifestyle we become stiff and sore, our moods change, we get fat and lazy, we experience more personal anxiety and quite often develop illnesses either physical or psychological.

Taking the above information into consideration you may begin to understand why our adult and youth population seem to be so angry and unsettled. It also could contribute to the rise in Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. These are illnesses that involve both children and adults alike.

Children are like colts. They must have good nutrition to develop properly and extensive exercise to burn off excess energy. Kept confined or too physically controlled they become aggressive and unmanageable. Poor quality of food results in badly developed bodies and minds.

Adults are exactly the same except we require less food as we have achieved our full development and we burn calories at a lower rate. To retain a goal weight we have to eat less fatty foods and move more. Energy in and equal energy out results in positive weight management.

Diets do not work.

Give yourself permission to eat when you are hungry. Be sure to feed your body with high quality fuel to get top performance and allow yourself to move regularly for the pure joy of it!

Remember, we require a well balanced diet. Consume at least eight, ounce glasses of water daily. Remember, if you feel thirsty that means you are already on your way to being dehydrated. Make sure when exercising you hydrate regularly. It will make the difference in how you perform and how you feel during that time.

Taking vitamins or nutritional supplements is a decision that is very personal. I am completely convinced that we require a certain amount depending on how active we are or how much stress we experience from day to day. Animals that are in competition are monitored carefully and provided with supplements to ensure optimum performance. Why should humans be any different? In saying this however, be well advised that one must research the market carefully and gain professional advice as to what types may be suitable and note the required dosage. If taken incorrectly supplements can cause more harm than good.

Yes, exercise is fun! It is completely a personal mind set whether you will enjoy activity or not. The benefits physically and mentally are endless if you should choose to improve your fitness level!

As a personal trainer and instructor, it is gratifying to see the improvements a client experiences when they change their lifestyle. They become more relaxed, self confident, have greater levels of energy, and visually, their entire body language changes. It is wonderful to watch as they discover the person from within themselves.

Don't waste any more time.

Turn off the television, get off the couch and start living!