Stop Making Excuses and Learn How to Be Healthy

Excuses, excuses, excuses. They always seem to keep us from getting where we really want to be. Not this year! It's time to push excuses off for good so you can drop that extra weight, quit your junk food habit, or finally get in shape.

Use these workarounds to bust your favorite excuses so they don't rule you:

I'm too tired to exercise.
Tell your body you're too tired to exercise and you'll downshift your energy production (thanks to a mechanism called feedback loops). Tell your body you need to walk and you'll generate the energy you need to take a daily jaunt. Make healthy behaviors automatic by programming your body to want to move. Try this easy, no-shower-or-change-of-clothes-required workout.

I'm a terrible cook so I eat out a lot.
Don't arrive at the restaurant starving! Eat a little healthful fat, such as six walnut halves, before you get there. The healthful fat in walnuts triggers a chain reaction that slows the rate at which your stomach empties, so you'll feel fuller faster. Also drink at least one full glass of water before you order. This helps fill you up so you don't overeat. Ask for cut-up veggies instead of bread, and stick to an appetizer or consider sharing your entree. Here are some of the best and worst choices at six restaurant chains.

I have foot pain and can't walk.
When you're in pain, exercising might be the last thing you feel like doing, but it pays to keep moving. Workouts encourage your body to release endorphins -- neurotransmitters that act as natural painkillers. Try biking or swimming (there's more than one way to get your heart rate up!), but be sure to see a podiatrist to find out what's causing your pain. Give this workout in a chair a whirl.

I travel all the time and have to eat on the road.
Rely on more snacks instead of pigging out on big meals. Travel with easy-to-carry baggies of snacks, such as nuts, cut-up apples, or baby carrots, to take the edge off your hunger. Frequent flyers: Here's how to eat more healthfully in the air.

RealAge Benefit

A physical activity program that builds stamina, strength, and flexibility can make your RealAge as much as 8.1 years younger. Take the RealAge Test!

Actively patrolling your health can make your RealAge as much as 12 years younger.

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