We are aiming to reach an ideal in our quest for lifetime fitness. We will need all the help we can get, and should use every resource at our disposal. We have seen and considered the different components that must be included to reach this ideal. We can combine all of the tools - diet, weight control, exercise, supplements, intimacy and mental attitude - to achieve our goal of attaining and maintaining optimum health and lifetime fitness.

Optimal health is represented by a feeling of being on top of things. All of the right moves have been made, the right habits have been formed, the right foods are faithfully eaten, the exercise regimen is followed without fail, the desired supplements are included, and the relationships could not be better. You know you have done it right, so there is no nagging concern about what you might have done. You have done your best.

Now enjoy it. Take a moment to contemplate that you have done what you can with your chronological age, and you have kept your physical age well below your actual number of years on this earth. Relish the fact that few people do this. Some do parts of it, and some do most or all of it for a while, but you have done it all for the long run. Be proud of yourself and enjoy it.

For more information see Optimal Health Strategies.

We all notice those people who seem to actually glow with fitness. They are lean, lithe and alert. In their middle age or senior years, they look younger than their ages, frequently many years younger. People who meet them often comment on their obvious fitness and good health. They seem to radiate energy, vitality and sex appeal.

Where does it come from? How are these people seemingly so blessed? What produces these desirable, dreamed of, sought after phenomena? How is it these people have such good fortune? What do they do to deserve such admiration from those who meet them?

There are a number of factors that may contribute to “the glow.” These special people are likely to be active, engaged in projects, busy with jobs. They may follow regular exercise programs. They may care about and select with firmness the foods they eat and the ones they reject. They almost certainly avoid the death wish habits of smoking and of drinking to excess. They are usually pleasant, good-natured, a joy to spend time with.

There is one thing these remarkable people have in common. It is a mental attitude that lifts them up and does the same for all around them. They see the world in positive terms. They believe in the basic goodness of people and, as if by magic, they are seldom disappointed. They have an inner peace that comes from knowing they are on the right path, that things will go well and will turn out successfully and satisfactorily. They have a confidence arising from their mental attitude that produces the glow of fitness.

When a person is fit and healthy, it is obvious to all around that person. He or she gives off a striking appearance of confidence that originates with those physical and mental attributes of the fitness lifestyle.

130 million Americans, almost two-thirds of the population, are overweight. Obesity’s role in shortening lives and increasing vulnerability to illness and disease is documented incessantly. Every week we read of new medical tests which prove increased harm to the body from the effects of excessive weight. The trend is toward increase of this medical and social problem, not toward correction of it.

Most overweight people want to change their condition. They want to lose weight and keep excess weight off forever. They want to be healthy, and they want to be seen as healthy. Their desire is the right starting point to do something to improve themselves. Unfortunately, the greatest problem these people face is finding an effective way to turn their desire into action.

We are going to concentrate here on the tools available to help those of us who want to lose weight. We are not going to reveal any miracle breakthroughs. We do not think that is where relief from this problem will be found. Rather, we are going to look for the answers in sound medical and scientific knowledge that is readily available. We are going to focus on incorporating sound medical and scientific knowledge into action plans and programs.

We are looking for plans and programs that have four essential features. First, they must allow for a normal lifestyle, one that does not require its users to enter into completely unfamiliar daily routines. Second, they must allow for eating some familiar and nutricious foods, while eliminating the foods that so corrupt our goals of rebuilding healthy bodies. Third, they must, if adhered to, cause our bodies to shed their excess weight in a timely manner. And fourth, they must include tasty and desirable meals with foods that will control weight over the long term without making the users feel food-deprived.

Such plans and programs exist. For rankings and descriptions, go to Top 10 Weight Loss List.