Are you one of those people that check their weight everyday? First thing in the morning or after a workout is usually the norm. I'm here to tell you... STEP OFF THE SCALE!!
It is not necessary to check our weight everyday or every other day, for that matter. If your trying to lose weight the 'HEALTHY WAY', You may only be trimming down 1-2 LBS  per week; you may also be putting on muscle with your weight training program. It is better to check your progress every two weeks (one week if you're on a very intense program). Mark your calender and make an event of it. Not only will you be happy with what you see, it will keep you motivated day after day.

And to take this a step further... be brave and throw your scale out completely. Is there a dress, pair of pants, bathing suit or suit that you want to fit into? Use that as your benchmark. Monitor how your clothes are fitting, as a way to tell if you're on the right track or not, or have a loved one or trainer, measure your girth measurements (around your waist,arms and/or thighs) every two weeks, and watch those numbers disappear.  

DON'T BE A SLAVE TO THE SCALE!!

The road to optimal fitness and health is not a straight and easy one. There are many pieces of the puzzle that need to be in place in order to get and keep the results that we fantasize about. There are actually three types of influences that shape healthy behaviour. These are predisposing factors, enabling factors and reinforcing factors.
Predisposing factors are made up of knowledge (do you know what your doing and/or how to do it effectively), attitude (are you starting with an positive or negative view), beliefs (do you belief in yourself and your goals), values (what is important to you) and perceptions (are you looking at it from the right angle).
Enabling factors are made up of skills (your physical ability), resources (what you have around you that can be used), accessible facilities (are you able to reach what you need), physical capabilities (are you able bodied or not) and mental capabilities (do you have the right mindset).
Reinforcing factors are made  up of praise from others (do you have your own cheerleading team), rewards (do you give gifts to yourself for accomplishments), encouragement (do you get positive words), recognition (are your accomplishments made aware to others), and sense of achievement (do you feel like you've accomplished something bigger).

ALL these influences need to be in place in order to plan, do and achieve. Look at your system today. Is it able-ing you or diable-ing you? If not, something needs to be changed.

Now that the new year is fast approaching, many people are reviewing their lives and making resolutions for the coming year. Many of those resolution are tinged with ideas of health and fitness improvements; weight loss, gaining muscle, increased flexibility and the list goes on and on.

Are you one of those people? There are various stages of change and at the ending of the year most people are either in the contemplation stage or the preparation stage. In the Contemplation stage most people are aware that they have an issue that needs to be changed and are considering changing in the next month. They are thinking about all the good that will come out of this new change, when it starts, but are also bombarded with all the effort and energy that it will take in order to accomplish this goal.
In the Preparation stage, people intend to change and make the effort to accomplish their goals. For example, they may sign up for a fitness class or talk to a trainer and even make small changes like parking further away from the mall to encourage walking.

Whatever stage you may be in today, remember that you are on your way to a better and healthier life but what make the difference is stepping into the Action stage. This will make all the difference. Planning and thinking about change is good but actually following through with it, is better. So... go ahead. Put in that yoga DVD, start those personal training sessions, do that morning run before work, just GET MOVING. The sooner you start the better you'll feel.