For too many people, there comes an age when they just accept their physical condition as the hand they are dealt in life. Their dreams or hopes for a more vibrant physical self fall by the wayside, as they learn to settle. They settle for fewer options for activity and less energy for whatever they choose to do as well as come to accept all manner of ailments.

People allow ageism to permeate their own thoughts and influence their better judgment. The way this happens is usually a matter of both internal and external fears being voiced. “Do you expect to do that at your age” or “how can you manage that with kids?”

Sure, decades of physical inactivity can not be instantly undone by a positive attitude. Yet, gradually reclaiming the activities and opportunities you told yourself were no longer possible can progressively bring back good health and greater vitality. A proactive passion for good health, or for that matter, your household’s good health, means you do not have to settle for I’m too old, too fat, or too tired. People of all backgrounds break through these self-imposed limits every day.

“Fail to plan and you can plan to fail.”

Think of your plan as a road map and your goal as your destination. Without a plan and a specific goal, you are left without focus and can easily get lost or side-tracked. This happens all the time to people who, without much thought, join a gym or start running. They end up just doing whatever — no activity plan and no nutritional plan. Soon, they wonder why they are not making progress.

Having a plan lets you take specific action each day. There is no wondering or guessing — you just do it. A proper plan can provide the necessary structure that not only keeps you moving forward, it also helps develop good habits for activity and nutrition that will benefit you long after you have reached your goal.

“Believe you can or believe you can’t. Choose one and you’ll be exactly right.”

Once you have started on your plan, you need to believe wholeheartedly in what you are doing. It is important to stay focused and avoid overly-critical people. If you have to, don’t discuss your plan with people who say things like “you can’t do that” or “you’re wasting time and money”. Basically, do not let anyone negatively influence your success. When you have reached your goals, those same people will likely be asking for your advice.

In 2006, a worldwide survey conducted by UK based Tesco Ltd. asked 3,500 children aged 7-16 their opinions on playing sports.

When finding out what motivates kids to play sports, perhaps not surprisingly, most children play first and foremost to have fun. Sociability was high on the list, setting “Make friends” as the #3 motivator.Keeping fit was the second most important factor in playing sports, but some cultural differences showed through. 83% of young Chinese do sports to stay healthy compared with just 43% in the US. Stress management turned out to be a significant motivator in playing sports, especially for teenagers. With increasingly difficult school work, social challenges, and the general pressure of the teen years, sports can be viewed by many to be the answer to stress. The figures went up dramatically for 15-16 year olds in most countries. Interestingly, considering current global obesity issues, losing weight was the motivation voted for least.