How often have we heard ourselves saying, “I’ll start my diet tomorrow when I’m not so busy” or “I’ll exercise when the weather gets better”?

Our health often takes a backseat to all of our excuses, in spite of our best intentions. We know we need to exercise and move our bodies more, but whatever we’re doing at the time seems so much more important than going out for a walk.

We kid ourselves into thinking that we can start eating healthier tomorrow.

The same thing happens with our diet. We know we should eat better, have more vegetables, and eat fewer high-calorie snacks, but we kid ourselves into thinking that we can start eating healthier tomorrow, or the next day, or after the upcoming holiday party. And still we don’t.

As we put off these healthy habits, we slowly and imperceptibly lose our mobility and our flexibility. We gain a pound or two and notice we are a little short of breath after climbing a few stairs. Maybe our heartburn gets a little worse at night, keeping us from that good night’s sleep.

These things happen insidiously, without us really noticing them from day to day, so it’s easy to chalk it all up to simply “getting older.” Before you know it, you’re out of tomorrows; that time you thought you had is gone, and there’s no getting it back.

Fortunately, the gains we make from small, healthy changes happen in the same way.

Fortunately, the gains we make from small, healthy changes happen in the same way. Eat a few more vegetables and less sugar, and exercise a little more. All of a sudden you notice you are less tired in the afternoon and sleep better at night, and your doctor notices an improvement in your blood pressure.

These are the little victories in our journey toward living an active and fulfilling life. And it can start today.