It is important to make an honest assessment at this time of what resources you are going to have available for your health and weight loss efforts, because failure to do so will likely cause you to meet with less-than amazing results later on down the road.

One of the most common reasons why people stop exercising or eating healthy foods is because unexpected circumstances in their lives cause confusion and scheduling issues which normally lead to a rapid decline in compliance with their program.

Time

Time, although free, is the most valuable asset that any of us have. However, it is very easily squandered, and if you do not properly plan the use of your time, you will all but ensure that you will not get the desired results from your program.

The time needed to live a healthy lifestyle includes any time spent actually exercising, but it also includes several other time expenditures that are not so commonly recognized:

• Driving time to and from a workout facility
• The time it takes to change from street attire into workout clothes
• Time to properly cool down and stretch out after a workout session
• The time it takes to prepare, package, and/or transport healthy meals
• Time to pick-up/drop-off children, or other family obligations that are affected by your exercise program
• Time to get at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep each night

After looking at a list like this, and then adding in your own ideas about time-consuming tasks, you may already be starting to believe that it is simply not possible for you to take the time needed to be healthy. 

That is certainly not the case, however, and if you are truly committed to a healthy lifestyle, there is always a way to fit everything in. If you need some great tips on time and material management, you will find plenty of useful information at sites like The Ririan Project, and Lifehack.org.

Be sure to search through the archives - both of those sites are packed with great information! 

Facilities

The question of facilities that will assist you on your quest for better health and fitness can include any or all of the following:

• If you are going to workout at a gym, you need to find a gym that is in your area and that fits your needs
• If you are going to workout at home, find a place with plenty of open space, or where open space can be created quickly and easily. If you make it hard on yourself, you'll end up never working out.
• If you have children that you will be tending to around your workout schedule, you'll need to arrange for child care, or schedule workouts when the kids are not an issue. Many fitness facilities have in-house child care centers.
• Another facility issue is the question of food storage and preparation. Does your office or place of business have a refrigerator, a microwave, or maybe a blender? If not, be sure to make whatever arrangements are necessary so that you can stick to your nutrition program. 

As with the issue of time, managing your available facilities can seem like a daunting task at first, but it really isn't that difficult if you apply yourself to coming up with creative solutions.

Equipment

Depending on what you came up with as far as the facilities that you will use to support your healthy lifestyle, you will likely need to get access to certain types of equipment as well.

• If you are going to be working out at gym, then most of the actual exercise equipment that you need should be there. However, a sturdy pair of workout gloves and a spill-proof water bottle should always accompany you to the gym.
• Most people are motivated by music, or they practice time management by listening to informative or empowering audio programs while they workout. You can get a decent MP3 player or other audio device for a reasonable price that will easily suit your needs.
• If you are going to be working out at home, you will need to get some exercise equipment. You could go "all out" and spend several thousand dollars on cardio equipment, weight benches, etc., but that is not necessary. You can get plenty of cardiovascular training without a lot of equipment, and a basic set of dumbbells, an exercise ball, and a workout mat will be plenty of equipment to get your home gym started.
• In addition to exercise equipment, you can get as fancy as you want to with workout attire, although the only real "needs" when it comes to exercising are a sturdy pair of cross-training running shoes and some small towels to wipe off the sweat. If money is not an object, you can of course get a fancy new workout wardrobe, although that money would actually be better spent on a good heart-rate monitor.
• In the kitchen, your nutrition program will likely include meals and drinks that need to be portable. Get a decent blender and some resealable plastic containers and you will be all set.

Most people get into a comfortable groove with their exercise and nutrition program, and they get used to using certain types of equipment and preparing certain types of meals. Again, it's really not that hard once you get yourself set up.

Education

Okay, you've got your time, equipment, and facilities all set up, and you are ready to go! Now what? Do you have any idea what you are doing?

Another big reason why people don't get great results from their fitness programs is because they either go way overboard with their enthusiasm, yet don't see enough immediate results so they quit, or they get hurt because they didn't really know what they were doing.

Exercise and eating right are not difficult concepts, and anyone can learn the basics. You could just read through the April archives here at Fitness Destinations and get more than enough information to get you started. I transferred several years worth of fitness articles, exercises, and fitness tips onto this site in the month of April alone! Other resources that could help out include:

• A personal trainer
• Internet research - a limitless supply of information
• Friends, family or co-workers who HAVE been successful. There is very little point in listening to someone who is overweight when you are looking for weight loss advice.
• Exercise databases - check out Fitness Generator
• Nutritional data  - check out Nutrition Generator or Nutrition Data

Wherever you decide to get your health and fitness education from, make sure that you always listen to your body above all else.

Also remember that just because something worked for someone else doesn't necessarily mean that it will work for you. Always experiment with whatever systems work best for you, and don't spend any time worrying about what other people are doing.

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This concludes Part II of the Health, Diet, and Weight Loss Checklist Series. Feel free to share your comments on this entry, and you may also click here to read the other entries from this series.