Welcome to Fitness Minute! With Mary Salama , the newsletter designed to raise your awareness and empower you for change!

Have you ever wondered why it is so hard to do the right thing, consistently? Whether it is a new diet, a new career or a new exercise program, the beginning of a thing seems exciting and you are full of energy for it however, we can quickly lose steam and dread and avoidance tactics move in.

Especially around this time of year with the holidays, family, and food and less time to exercise, staying on track may seem impossible. Don't throw your hands up and don't give in to making excuses for why you can't do the things that make you feel good.

Make doing the right thing(s) doable and YOU WILL do them.  Set yourself up for success by having a vision, setting goals and keeping it simple.  Here are 3 steps to successfully make your dream a reality, even during the “hard” times:

1. Have a vision and visualize
2. Set simple goals
3. Do the work

For example, if your vision is to enjoy a lifestyle that is characterized by words and feelings such as “fit”, “healthy”, “energetic” and “youthful”, you will have to practice creating healthy habits and breaking old habits that did not work.

Step 1: Write down your vision: I want to be healthy, energetic and lean. Now close your eyes and imagine what you would look like if you were lean, maybe 20 pounds less. How would you feel? How would you fit in your clothes? Would people notice the difference? What kind of things would they say to you? Maybe: “Wow, you've lost a lot of weight. You look great! How did you do it?” Now imagine having more energy, getting out of bed with more excitement and feeling more confident all day.

Step 2: Set simple goals.

Long term goal : I will lose 20 pounds and eat healthy, balanced meals. No more junk or fast food.

Short term goals : I will exercise 20 minutes a day, 3 times a week. I will eat fast food 3 times this week, instead of my usual 4 visits. When I consume junk food, I will have half the serving size that I normally would and I will substitute the other half with a healthy snack like a fruit.

Step 3: Do the work

• On your weekly planner, schedule (as you would any other appointment) three, 20-minute sessions to take a walk, jog, jump rope, do a fitness video or some other form of exercise.
• On your weekly planner, schedule the 3 days/times you will eat fast food and which restaurant you will eat at
• On your weekly planner, jot down the snacks that jeopardize your health and weight loss progress (ex. Daily handful of nuts or family-size bag of chips. I know. I've been there.) and write down what fruit you will substitute for the second-half portion you would normally have. For example. I will have ½ handful of nuts (be honest now) and an apple instead of a handful of nuts.