Are you sitting at home thinking..."I need help losing weight?"

It's Saturday afternoon, and maybe you're sitting in front of the computer, surfing the internet, searching for the clues to success, the Holy Grail of Happiness. You browse site after site, looking for things that will help you achieve your goals, make you fitter, make you leaner, make you happier.

Because we all know that once you lose that weight, you'll be happy, right?

That's what I thought.

I was convinced I'd enjoy life more, and people would like me better if I was skinnier.

And so today, although I've got a number of things I'd like to blog about, I've decided to blog about happiness.

I saw this picture on a friend's Facebook wall today, and it struck a chord with me.

It's interesting isn't it.  Can you picture the scene? This creative and intelligent boy in school, surrounded by his wrinkled and uptight elders, telling them that they didn't understand life because they didn't get that one of the best goals in life is just to be happy?  

It made me pause, and think.

Are you happy, truly, filled to the brim with joy, right this very minute?  Do you like your 'lot in life'?  Are you who you want to be, and where you want to be?

Good question eh.

And here's the deal, you might be wondering, what the heck does this have to do with health and fitness?

The answer is.....

Everything.

Why are you working out?  Why do you want to lose weight?

Who do you eat obsessively, or do self-destructive things to your body?

How is getting fit and losing weight going to change your life?  Will it make you happier, or will the sadness, the inner demons, the discontent be waiting there for you, just around the corner?  Will they haunt you and lurk, waiting for your will power and resolve to falter so they can tempt you back into that giant size bag of chips or that extra large cone?

And here's a question, what does it truly take to be happy? Money? Status? Career achievement? Family? Health? Friends?

I ask these questions for a number of reasons. If you're visiting this page because you want to lose weight, that is great!  The Beachbody programs are fantastic, and hey, I'm an awesome coach (just saying), but the first thing that you need to do is to take a very careful look at what is going on inside your heart, in your life, and really think about how happy you are.  And if you're not overly thrilled with where you are at this present moment, of if you haven't had a good belly laugh, or felt pure joy in a very long time, then you need to do some inner reflection and think about why.  What is going on to make you feel the way you do, and then find a way to change things. 

I'll let you in on a little secret, one that I learned a very long time ago, one that changed the way I live my life:

Ready?

Life is not a dress rehearsal.  We don't get a do-over.  We don't get a repeat.

Today is the day to take the bull by the horns and get out there and truly experience each and every day.  Today is the day to make your 'bucket list' and then set out to accomplish every single thing on that list.  And the things on your list don't have to be biggies.  They can be simple, like volunteering at a local shelter, or running a half-marathon.  Maybe you've always dreamed of learning how to play the ukulele.  The sky is the limit!!  

And once you start rejoicing in the simple pleasure of life, celebrating each and every day that comes along, feeling pure passion about where you are, who you are, and what you're doing--you may just find that the inner demons that have been driving you to head to the cookie bag and the chip bowl, the same ones who tell you that you'll never fit into those skinny jeans--you may just find that they have buggered right off.

I don't know a lot of things, but I do know a few simple truths:

1. Life is short, so celebrate each and every day to its fullest. Don't worry about being proper all the time.  Laugh, joke around, be silly, get your hands dirty.  

2. You CAN get fit and health if you make a commitment to yourself that you are worth the time and energy that it requires to succeed. You are worth it.  And if you really think about what you are putting into your mouth and sweat your ass off on a regular basis, you will see results.

3. Happiness doesn't come in a dollar bill.  It comes in smiles across good meals, holding hands, cuddles on the couch, good belly laughs, and the comfort of good friends and family. 

So, if you need help losing weight, my advice to you, as a Beachbody coach, is to do things to make yourself happy, commit to yourself, and work to success. 

And know, that I am here, cheering you on, each and every step of the way.

Seriously.

If you are interested in losing weight and making some changes in your life, please join my team!  I am here for you!!