Q: How can exercise improve my health?

With today's busy lives and busy schedules, it is very rare to see someone exercise on a constant basis. Even signing in a fitness club sometimes doesn't help this situation improve. Nevertheless, the more people need it, the more they try to include it as part of their every day lives.

After work, most people are so tired that they only look forward to putting on the TV, watching an episode of their favorite show, eating something "good" and going to bed. Sadly, this is probably the main reason why so many people are overweight and don't take care of themselves. What they don't realize is that exercise and good eating habits can work better than medicine.

Here are some tips to help get you started:

• Set realistic goals
• Take small steps towards your goal
• Chart your progress
• See a doctor for specific instructions on what you should be doing
• Other than exercise and developing good eating habits, you might want to stop or dramatically decrease the amount of alcohol or nicotine you consume
• If your exercise in a gym, tryseeing a fitness professional to track down your progress, as well
• Try exercising with a friend for motivational purposes
• Give yourself rewards for doing something properly or maintaining a promise
• Know that you are currently taking the right medication
• Make time in your schedule
• Replace some miscellaneous activities in your schedule with more important ones such as exercise
• Make a shopping list before hitting the store
• Know what food you should be eating
• Read, research and evaluate your current reason for exercising and dieting