Is there really a secret to being physically fit? The "secret" is a simple truth.
Here's your fitness game plan: Shut up, work out, and eat right.

Shut up. You're telling me to shut up? Isn't that rude?

"Shut up" is meant to be a clear and concise directive. It's what you ultimately need to do when reasons and excuses become interchangeable. It's what you need to do even if your reasons or excuses are legitimate or justifiable.

You could say "shut up" means:

• get on with it
• time to get started
• no more excuses
• get to the task
• gitter done

Unless you're a freak of nature you can't maintain good health without exercising and making healthy food choices consistently.

Questions are acceptable- excuses are not. There are helpful methods for setting yourself up for success- some do's and don'ts.

There can be reasons why being fit is a challenge for you but if your reasons stop you from being fit then your reasons become well-disguised excuses.

Being fit feels good mentally and physically. Respect your gift of good health and do what is within our personal power to be fit and healthy- nothing more, nothing less.

If you don't work out and eat right your struggle to be healthy will compound year after year. Before you realize it you will have joined the ranks of the unhealthy and the overweight. This is so avoidable.

If you shut up, work out and eat right:
• You will always have a slim waist line- no midriff bulge.
• You won't experience "middle age spread"- the weight gain associated with age or menopause
• You'll make fewer trips to a doctor.
• You'll have a beautiful body because healthy is beautiful.

You can't put a price tag on the numerous advantages that will be yours. The struggle to be fit can be somebody else's struggle- not yours.

It doesn't have to be difficult to work out and eat right. You can get a great work out without expending too much time or effort. You can learn how you to enjoy food and satisfy your appetite without becoming overweight.

Try weight training. It gradually changes your body's ratio of fat to muscle, causing you to become leaner over the course of time. This is what changes your basal metabolic rate- the most effective method for staying slim for your lifetime. If there really is a secret to staying slim, this is it!

Here are two big questions:
• How much do I need to work out and how often?
• What should I eat and how much?

Here are some suggestions in response to the above questions:

• Work out for shorter periods of time. Most people work out for longer periods of time than necessary. Shorter workouts (20-30 minutes) done more frequently will prevent burnout and be effective over the course of time.

• Be consistent- work out every day or at the bare minimum, more days than not. Consistency is an invaluable factor and compounds the results of your efforts. Consistency means you don't skip your workout- you may modify it but you don't eliminate it entirely from your day. Consistency fortifies your habit- keeps it strong. It also compounds the effect of anything you do- good or bad.

• Your need for intensity is personal and will change over the course of decades sustaining a fitness habit. Let the change happen. You may love running now. Someday you may be satisfied with brisk walking. Whatever you choose for your fitness activity needs to match up with your psychological need. Your personal need for intensity may dictate a 20 minute workout or a one hour workout.

• Eat food that is what it is- in its original condition- food that came off a tree or out of the ground. Organic is better mainly because there's a better chance that the food hasn't been tainted by pesticides or genetically modified. Most of what you eat will be found in the produce section of the grocery store. Avoid packaged foods. Read labels and don't buy Frankenstein food ( food that could not exist without chemicals created in food laboratories)

• Eat when you're hungry. Don't eat when you're not hungry. Stop before you're stuffed.

Time is at a premium for nearly everyone so the efficiency of a fitness plan is important. We advocate weight training primarily because we know it is the most time effective method to become fit in the shortest possible amount of time- with no negative impact to one's body if done correctly. A weight workout can be designed for anyone- regardless of fitness level.

We want you to experience your best self at every age. We want you to know how easy it really is and how great it can feel to age gracefully. We want you to know what it takes to stay slim, look good and feel great at any age, and to be as healthy as possible during your entire life. Why? It feels so good. Isn't that a good reason? How many reasons do you need?

Fitness is a lifestyle and becoming fit is a process so there should never be a rush to become fit. Just shut up, work out, and eat right. Start now!