Since December 30th I have received hundreds of letters from my weekly Happy Monday readers asking, “How can I possibly drop this extra weight once and for all? What diets do you suggest? What’s the quickest way to drop weight? What do you think about fasting?” And the questions go on and on. Clearly they haven’t been reading my Happy Monday newsletters every week, if they did they would understand that other than the first question, the others I can’t respond to.

For those of you that know my work, you know that I do not nor will I ever support diets, fast and easy weight loss efforts, magic formulas and 30-day weight loss guarantees. I will never support anything that doesn’t teach or inspire you to focus on your health first. After all, if you’re not focused on your health, you will never make the healthy living choices necessary to not only achieve a healthy weight but achieve a healthy mindset as well. And trust me, once the mind and body develop a strong relationship, your healthy options are unending.

For many people struggling with weight, every single day is an ongoing internal conversation including, “What clothes can I wear that fit? I shouldn’t have had that Snickers bar. Look how skinny Mary is, she did that cabbage soup diet, maybe I’ll do that. I’m never wearing these pants again, they make me feel so fat. Should I eat this? Should I eat that? I know I gained weight this week. Forget it, I’m tired of being hungry, plus I don’t have that type of will power.”

I remember those conversations. I spent more time talking myself in to believing what a loser I was simply based on food choices, scale results and weight loss ads. I would think to myself, “If all those people in the “skinny fast” ads look so happy and so skinny, why can’t I do it?” And then I’d beat myself up for being so undisciplined. That was almost 30 years ago. So what have I learned that has kept the weight off and my life focused on good health? My 4 areas of focus – Color, Movement, Mindful and Support. If you want to get healthy, never diet again and attain a healthy body and life, those 4 simple rules are all you need to realize a healthy body.

Let’s think about this for moment. How many people do you know that have lost a lot of weight and then put it all (and then some) back on. What was their strategy for losing the weight? 9 times out of 10 it had nothing to do with learning life skills for good health, simply following a “diet” that structured their life so unnaturally, that ultimately they had to go back to a more natural approach, regular eating. Now what if you learned to eat well, move reasonably and stop thinking about every calorie or gram of fat or carb that crossed your lips? It would change your life and get you out of the “diet head” life forever.

Here are some things to think about:

Color– When you make food choices, the more color you have in your diet (diet in a healthy way), the better you will naturally eat. Remember, diets aren’t natural for most people. When you think about fruits and vegetables, there are a rainbow of color options available. Try new things, educate yourself about different fruits and vegetables and work to include more of them in your daily nutrition choices. For many people, I tell them to start gradually replacing their processed, high sugar, high carb snacks with fruits and veggies, gradually being the operative word. Remember, lifestyle changes don’t happen overnight, it’s a process.

Movement – How many of you hate to exercise, raise your hand? Yeah, most people do. But the reason is that for many people, fun and joy of movement has not often been the experience of someone whose struggled with weight for most of their life. They always felt uncoordinated, never got picked for team sports (that was me) and always exercised simply to lose weight. In other words, exercise became punishment for an imperfect body. Now tell me, where’s the impetus to exercise? Therefore, rather than thinking about conventional exercise for weight loss as we know it, think of simply movement. Ask yourself, “How can I move more every day? How can I find ways to move more and sit less? What small steps can I take today that will add up and benefit how I feel tomorrow?” Move because it’s good for you and makes you feel good and because you can. There is nothing you can’t do!

Mindful– I often tell my clients, the minute you become aware of your current lifestyle habits, the easier it will be to make gradual changes. You see, too many people try to overhaul their entire lifestyle in 6 weeks, and it typically happens January 1st. The reality is that it never works, it just doesn’t. So you have to first stand back and take a look at what needs changing, then select one thing and work on it, however long it takes to find an alternative that is healthy so be it. Then you can move on to the next change. The more time you give yourself to make healthy lifestyle changes, the more time you will have to live the life you deserve. Connecting with your body and realizing how good it feels to take care of it, because you deserve to take good care of yourself, the better your quality of life.

Support – I have found that one of the biggest obstacles for many peoples healthy living success is an unsupported environment. Look, if you’ve been hanging around people who practice the same unhealthy habits you do, you either need to commit to change together (ultimately saving each other’s life) or you need to find friends that support your efforts. You must find like-minded folks that can support your efforts and encourage your changes versus someone who berates you for wanting something better for yourself. Deciding to become healthy with a friend or family member that chooses not to is not betrayal, it is simply getting the jump on realizing you’ve got one life, and why not live it to it’s fullest. And remember, you can’t draw a horse to water, so don’t try to change people, simply inspire them by your actions and surround yourself with those who appreciate your dedication to your health and life.

Go ahead, make this year your healthiest ever!