It’s never easy

I hate infomercials that show models, without an inch of fat on them, using the newest fitness machine that is guaranteed to help you lose pounds effortlessly. Occasionally they'll show testimonials or pictures of individuals who have supposedly used the new machine (you can add diet pills into this mix as well). Ugly and fat before – they are now beautiful and trim.

Its crap and it's wrong to deceive people that losing weight and becoming fit is easy. It's not.

Most of the time it's uncomfortable at best and sometimes it's even painful. It means getting out and exercising when you don't want to. It means avoiding deserts and fast food. It means being dedicated to a lifestyle that says no to some of life greater pleasures.

I'm not a health nut, but I eat moderately and I exercise (even when I'm not training for a triathlon) at least 5 times a week. I work very hard to keep healthy – probably harder than 95% of the population. But even with all that exercising and eating right, I can assure you that my body doesn't look anything like the models on the infomercials. Those people are getting more help from their neighborhood plastic surgeon than they are the new machine they are hawking.

There is a great payoff for the sacrifices you make in diet and time spent working out. You'll probably live longer. Your clothes fit better. You look better. You can walk up stairs without being winded. It's a totally different way of living than most of the rest of the world. But it's not easy. It's hard. Don't let the infomercials fool you.