Keep a promise to yourself

When I tell somebody I'm going to do something if it's at all possible I do it. My mom taught me that once you make a commitment, you don't quit. I think the majority of people are like this, especially moms. However, when we tell ourselves that we are going to do something we don't have the same level of commitment. Why is that? Do we value ourselves less important? People always say, "I'm too busy to exercise," "I have to be there for the kids," "I've got too much work." You know what? These are little lies you're telling yourself, and they go against the laws of self-preservation, because the more healthy you are, the more you can give to other people. And that's the truth. I'm not asking anyone to be less of a mother or parent. I'm just saying: Put yourself at the top of the list so you can treat your body with as much care and respect as you'd give to someone else's—and then when someone needs something from you, you will be running on 100%.

Every day I make the choice to live as well as I possibly can. And that starts with exercise. I do not have the genetics or the body type to function without it. (In other words, my hips don't lie.) So I stopped fluctuating between "Maybe I'll work out" and "Maybe I'll take the day off." I wake up and KNOW that I am going to exercise today or at least get outside and do something physical. And guess what: I do not hate it anymore. Don't get me wrong—you won't see me jumping up and down going, "I love to exercise," but I no longer dread it. It's just something that I do everyday like making my bed.

The bottom line is, you cannot lose weight or get you body to where you want it to be until you make yourself enough of a priority to do the things you need to do to make it happen.

So stop saying "yes" to everyone else. Say "yes" to yourself. When you wake up stop saying "I'll try too" or "I want to but..." say "yes, I have decided to put myself first."