Nikki: You want to set goals that are realistic, and having a set time period (like 6 months) as your goal will help you stick to a new fitness regime. Have a specific goal in mind, like weight loss of specific amount that is lower than what you actually think you can do, or to fit into your skinny jeans, and write down your plan of action for every day, week, etc. Make sure it is something you can measure and not just the end goal, but the milestones along the way.

A way to do this is to develop inner self confidence that you can achieve your goals. Set yourself up for success early on. This is why you don’t try running 6 miles in one hour on your first day. Start with a plan that you think you can accomplish or exceed. (Walking for 30 minutes. Then running for 20 minutes and see how many times you have to stop and walk in the middle. Next time, try to stop and walk one less time than the day before. Once you don’t have to stop to walk and can run for a full 20 minutes, try to run for another 10 minutes longer but allow yourself to walk if you need to. Once you can do 30 minutes without stopping, add on another 10 minutes, and its ok to walk with each new longer time limit.)

How do you avoid getting discouraged and giving up?
Have a plan.

Figure out what your barriers to exercise and eating well are, and make a plan to conquer and avoid those specific barriers. Common barriers are lack of time, losing interest, losing motivation, being too tired, holidays, family obligations, not liking to sweat, not having the money for equipment or a gym, being bored, being depressed, having job and child demands that are “more important.” Take each barrier or excuse and write down ways you can solve the problem. For example, if the barrier is being too tired in the morning to wake up and exercise before the demands of the day, then make a plan at night. Set your favorite song to play when you wake up. Go to bed earlier. Have the coffee, breakfast, clothes, music, shoes, contact lenses, deodorant, sunblock…everything laid out the night before. Even sleep in your workout outfit if you have to! If you work around a lot of food and vending machines, pack healthy snacks, or order/make enough healthy food for dinner that you have leftovers. Keep apples, carrots, whole wheat bread, etc at your desk or in your area and snack often, so that you are not ever starving and can avoid those chocolate muffins because you already filled up on healthy food.

A lot of women become single moms overnight after their husband leaves for deployment. If you are a stay-at-home mom with small children, how do you get in the exercise you need or find a way not to feel guilty about making this a priority? Mothers are at their best when they themselves are happy and under as little stress as possible. If you make time for you first, then it won’t hang over your head all day as something else on your to do list. If you work out early in the day, you will start your day off with a natural high for your entire body. You will be in a better mood, be able to tackle difficult or mundane tasks with a happier outlook and more energy, set a good example for your kids (with childhood obesity being such an issue these days) that working out should be part of everyone’s day, and fall asleep faster at night. A healthy mom is a better mom, so you are doing it for your kids as well as for yourself.

If you have a setback – i.e., you over-indulge in decadent brownies or don’t exercise for two weeks – how can you pull yourself together mentally to keep going with your regimen? Remember that you can’t go back. All you can do is control what choices you make today. So eat lots of veggies, fruits, calcium and whole grains today. Have lean protein like chicken or sushi. Work out twice today and park your car far away, take the stairs, go for a run and then go take that class at the gym. If you have a great and productive day TODAY, you won’t feel guilty tomorrow, and soon you will start craving exercise instead of brownies.

On the flip side, how often should you reward yourself for achieving milestones, and what types of “rewards” should you give yourself so that you don’t backslide? Give yourself rewards like a pedicure, a new outfit, CD, or other non-food rewards. Pick a reward that you will not feel guilty about.

How can you change your mindset so that exercise is not something you dread but anticipate gladly? Find activities that you enjoy.  Something you want to approach, instead of avoid. Maybe you love to dance, so take a funk class at the gym. Maybe you love sunsets or the water, so take a walk/run along the river at sunset. If you hate the treadmill and get bored on it, run outside near a beautiful park with a great IPOD mix or take a step class. If you don’t like to be around people while you work out, get a fun series of videos so you can lift weights in your living room. Learn to play a sport like racquetball. Try to eat more fruits and veggies. If you hate them raw or the way you steam them at home, find inexpensive ways to get takeout (identify the healthiest things on the menu). Often you’d be surprised at how good whole grains, vegetables and fruit taste when someone else trained in cooking makes them. Find it hard to make time to hang out with your friends? Make a date to go walking and talking instead of having drinks or seeing a movie.

I’ve heard both positive and negative comments about workout buddies. What is your take on having a workout buddy? If you are a social person, or think that you might bag your workout if it is just you that you are letting down, then a workout buddy is good. If your alarm goes off and you know that your friend will be waiting for you in the park at 7am, you will make yourself get up so you don’t leave them standing there and waste their time. Surround yourself with positive people who believe and achieve success, and limit your exposure to negative people who will not support your goals or try to get you to “cheat” or give up. If you don’t have a positive person in your life as a buddy, either work out on your own, or find a group fitness instructor you love and will schedule your day around, or get a personal trainer where you lose money if you don’t show up, that is usually great motivation. I had to become an instructor to make myself work out, if I don’t work out, I have 20 people waiting for me and an angry boss plus a loss of a paycheck! That is great motivation for me. Find out what works for you.

When the husband comes home, a lot of women lose sight of their fitness routines. Additionally, they either fall into old habits or face big temptations (he wants to have a giant barbecue or eat steak every night for the next two weeks, or he wants her chocolate chip cookies for breakfast). How can you keep up your healthy lifestyle after you’ve worked so hard to achieve it? (especially if you’ve incorporated new dietary changes like whole grains, ground turkey, etc.) My husband loves happy hour, burgers and football. I have found that the barbeque place around the corner has all the games, and a delicious grilled veggie platter for me, but rib tips for him. Locate the 3 healthiest things on the menu and only chose from them. I promise you will not be disappointed. If you can’t afford to eat out, find recipes that taste great and are easy to make, and substitute things he won’t notice. If he does notice, make a different version for you that has similar sauces and smells. Give him white pasta with cheese and meatballs, but make yourself whole wheat pasta primavera. Give him chocolate chip cookies, while you mix chocolate soy milk with fat free regular milk. Discover fresh herbs. Subscribe to healthy lifestyle magazines with recipes.