How does one do that? Be the best they can be? I don't think it is something someone else can decide for you. You have to decide what's best for you. But I do think it is time we started focusing on what we can be instead of what we can't.

We all can't be a size 2... or 8... or 10... or 18... or whatever our dream size is. No amount of dieting or exercise will make us what we want to be in our mind's eye. Our mind's eye is often deceiving anyway.

We can however choose to be healthier. To incorporate exercise into our lives. (Oh no, not the dreaded exercise!) It is time to stop looking at exercise as a goal for looking better. We need to look at it as a goal for feeling better and being healthier. Do away with the strict diets and deprivation along with the two hour long workouts. These are definitive ways of setting yourself up to fail. It is time to use the common sense most of us were born with.

Yes, part of the healthier you involves adding vegetables and fruits to meals (Oh no, not the dreaded fruits and vegetables!) and doing simple things like parking at the opposite end of the parking lot instead of by the door. If it is so simple why aren't more people doing it? It's not that we've become lazy. I hate that word. We have become the "me now" society. We don't like to wait for anything. Parking by the door is part of this syndrome. Make a conscious effort to park away from the door. Pretend you don't want to get any dents in your car if you have too.

What else does "best you can be" bring to mind for you? Tolerance of others? Helping out a neighbour or friend in need? Volunteering at the local charity? This is going to be different for everyone. Think in terms of yourself. How can you make "you" better, not how you can make "you" like someone else. It's time to set your own standards for living. You know I'm a fan of lists so get out a sheet of paper and a pen and make of list of all the things that will help you be the best you can be.

Are you the best you can be right now? Doubt it. We are all works-in-progress. Being the best involves continually striving and evaluating our progress. Seeing how we can improve on what we are already doing. It is not only physical. And it definitely is not about beating ourselves up for not being better. It's about knowing what changes are needed and can be made and taking little (sometimes big) steps to improve them.

What step are you going to take today?

M. E. Wood