I once consulted with a 45-year-old woman who was overweight, stressed out, always tired, hadn’t exercised in years and had an atrocious diet. 

And she said something that no other client had ever said to me. 

She said, “I know what I need to do, but I just look at myself and say, ‘Why bother?’” 

If this even remotely sounds like you, then read on and see what I explained to this woman. 

It’s never too late! 

Many people who suffer from health challenges or are overweight believe it’s too late for them and they shouldn’t bother trying to feel better. 

But it’s never, ever too late to improve your health or lose weight, regardless of your age or how long you’ve been this way. 

No matter where you’re starting from, your body will definitely benefit from adopting healthier habits. 

I didn’t start consistently eating healthy until my early 30s!  Plus I didn’t begin karate training and long distance running until my 40s.  I ran my first full marathon at age 50.  And I started training in mixed martial arts a few months before I turned 60! 

Yeah, it’s never too late.  And if I can do it, so can you! 

Ignore the Negative Nellies 

If anyone criticizes you or tries to tell you that you can’t do it, or you’re not good enough or strong enough, ignore them. 

Then prove them wrong. 

Someone once told me that my running stride was horrible.  Mind you, this person had probably never run more than a mile or two in their life, and that was back in high school. 

Well, that “horrible” running stride of mine carried me for 26.2 miles three times in three different marathons…at ages 50, 54 and 56.  

Do it for you 

We’ve all had experiences where people that inspired us ended up letting us down.   

Someone that you looked up to may have turned out to be deceitful, a coward or simply not who you thought they were. 

You may have been used, fooled, unappreciated, hurt or rejected.  We’ve all been there, including yours truly. 

When it comes to inspiration, you have to rely on the only person you can always count on. 

Yourself. 

Be your own inspiration.  Become healthier for YOU and no one else.  You deserve it, you are worth it, you can do it and you WILL do it! 

Have a reason 

Many people are motivated by having a reason to improve their health. 

For example, a dear friend of mine quit smoking after 40 years because he wanted to see his grandchildren grow up and be there at their graduations and weddings. 

One reason I have the habits I have is because my father died of a massive heart attack at 58 and my mother had cancer twice…and I don’t want their fate to be mine!   

Refuse to make excuses 

If you allow excuses to enter your mind, forget it--you’re done before you start.  There is no room for excuses when it comes to improving your health. 

Think long and hard about your past excuses and put an end to them.   

For example, have you avoided exercise by telling yourself you didn’t have the time?  Well, there are 168 hours in a week—I think you can carve 2 or 3 of those out for exercise.    

Or how about eating healthy—have you told yourself you’re too busy to cook?  Well, if you’re not too busy to watch your favorite TV shows or poke around on Facebook, you’re also not too busy to cook. 

Face your excuses and admit they are a bunch of malarkey. 

Start with simple steps 

If you’re ready to make a significant difference in your state of health, know this: It doesn’t have to be overwhelming or difficult! 

Start with these three simple steps that can have a huge impact: 

1- Work more real foods into your diet 

If your diet is not-so-great (or downright abysmal), gradually work in more wholesome real foods. 

• Have a tossed salad with your dinner every day.  Even a lettuce wedge drizzled with dressing counts! 
• Instead of chips or crackers, snack on carrot and celery sticks, a cube of cheese, or a handful of nuts. 
• Choose oatmeal or scrambled eggs for breakfast over donuts, bagels, pastries or cereals. 
• Try soups or salads for lunch instead of burgers or pizza.  Add grilled meat, chicken or fish to your salad to make it more filling if you’d like. 
• Swap out one soda or coffee a day for water. 
• Seek out healthier convenience options.  For example, instead of ordering pizza for dinner, sauté up a chicken breast or salmon filet and serve with steamed frozen green beans and a bagged salad—it doesn’t get easier than that.  

You can also fill in the blanks where your diet may be less-than-stellar by using Juice Plus! 

Juice Plus is derived from real healthy foods (fruits, vegetables and berries), picked at the peak of freshness from local farms.  Then the foods are either juiced or frozen to preserve the natural nutrients.   

After a period of low temperature drying, the resulting powders are placed into capsules, making them a convenient way to compensate where your diet may be lacking. 

And here’s the really cool part-- Juice Plus has also been shown to help people develop more of a taste for healthy foods because their bodies become more accustomed to those wholesome foods and the awesome nutrients they provide by taking the Juice Plus capsules. 

So if you’re someone whose “vegetables” up to now have consisted of French fries and ketchup and a wilted lettuce leaf on your burger, Juice Plus can help change that! 

2- Support your gut health with probiotics 

Your gut determines your health from head to toe—it absorbs the nutrients your body needs to survive, eliminates dangerous wastes and toxins, houses 80 percent of your immune system and even makes 90 percent of your body’s serotonin (your natural antidepressant)! 

But your microbiome is always taking a hit from things like sugar and refined carbs, medications, lacking sleep, stress and tap water. 

Plus your intestinal good guys are not “permanent residents” to begin with—they only “vacation” inside of you for 12 days or less!   

So it’s vital to keep your friendly gut flora population strong and healthy—and the best way to do that is with a full-spectrum, multi-strain probiotic formula like Super Shield! 

3- Engage in some exercise 

When it comes to attaining better health, exercise is not optional, my friend.   

Note that you don’t have to get fancy or join a gym!  Even brisk walking is great, and you can work that in any time of the day.   

Here are some tips for your success:  

• Choose an activity you like or will at least tolerate. 
• Commit to exercising for at least 30 minutes, 3 to 4 times per week. 
• Create doable goals.  For example, if you are new to running, don’t say you’re going to run 5 miles a day right out of the gate.  Start with some light jogging in between brisk walking and increase your distance and speed gradually.  Make your goals achievable and realistic. 
• Get a buddy!  It’s hard to skip a workout when you have someone counting on you to show up.   
• Celebrate your little victories along the way.  Always look behind you to see how far you’ve come. 

Just be sure to get your doctor’s OK first, especially if you haven’t exercised in a while (or ever). 

Remember, when it comes to improving your health, start with simple, effective steps and go from there. 

You’ll soon see wonderful changes taking place for you and you’ll never regret it! 

To your health, 

Sherry Brescia