Have you ever seen the movie, What About Bob? Totally one of my favorite movies of all time. In case you haven't seen it, just a little back info about the movie. Bob is a goofy, unassuming yet neurotic and anxiety ridden man. His psychiatrist has had his fill with Bob and quits the business transferring him to a seemingly self made and highly successful psychiatrist, Dr. Leo Marvin. Dr. Leo agrees to meet Bob for an interview prior to his vacation. When Bob presents to Dr. Leo, he presents completely out of sorts and invents having touretts, an intense fear of dying, anxiety about germs and going down the elevator. Dr. Leo gives Bob a copy of his book called, Baby Steps. Dr. Leo tells Bob to not think about leaving the building but to just take Baby Steps and think about getting to the office door and stepping into the waiting room. Then, Dr. Leo encourages Bob to think about just making it from the waiting room to the hallway and from there to the elevator and from there to the building lobby and from there to the door etc. Eventually Bob becomes so good at Baby Steps he is able to get on a public bus and go to the doctor's vacation spot, push his way into his family, sail (I'm sailing, I'm sailing), and evenutally drive the doctor completely and totally insane. My point (no I am not encouraging you to drive others to the brink of insanity) is Bob, through baby steps, was able to make great strides in his entire life. He found mental strength, physical strength, opened his heart to love and eventually became a very successful psychiatrist himself. Now, I know I know, you are all saying...yeah, he was able to do this, it is a movie. However, this is a totally possible scenario (well, generally speaking anyway). People always ask me, how I am able to lose weight and how do I exercise and tell me they are so afraid of the gym for one reason or another...so here is the answer....baby steps. When I started my health journey, I just cut portions and went to diet soda. After a while, I gave up red meat and went to lean turkey and chicken. Then, after that, I increased water and cut down the amount of diet soda I drank. Eventually I gave up soda altogether. I cut out smoking after 6 months on my health journey. The new year will bring me to another step and that is cutting out meat all together (this is a personal choice and I do not advise it for anyone...make that choice for yourself : ) The gym was kind of the same story. I started with Zumba. It was a fun way to start at the gym and I really burned A LOT of calories. When I started Zumba I was so big that I could really only move side to side to the beat and I stood in the very back corner. Over time, I became able to really move my hips, my feet, all of me really and then I was REALLY burning calories. Then I decided to start adding other things at the gym. I didn't do it all at once though; a class her and a class there. Now, I teach classes and am working on getting AFAA (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America) certified. Who knew that I would go in this direction? Who knew anyone would really care to read about it. I started this journey out with a very large goal in mind (still have that huge goal) but I knew if I took everything away from myself at once, I was setting myself up for failure. I had an excuse for everything and used them to my advantage but that is part of what kept me so overweight and so out of shape. I used food for other reasons that to fuel my body. I had to make small changes physically and mentally and will have to continue to do so in order to reach my ultimate goal. My point in this long rambling is this, your first step will be your most difficult but make that step. Make an overall goal for yourself and then set very small goals so you can feel victory over and over again and gain more and more confidence. You can do anything, ANYTHING you set your mind to. I believe it you and I will continue to believe in you until you can and will believe in yourself. Don't sell yourself short, you have so much to offer to this world and the world is waiting to experience YOU!!