As we get older, conversations with other woman will often include the aging process, and what in the world is going on with our bodies.  It?s really quite remarkable.  One day, you are this young girl, ordering the number 2 at McDonalds, getting it down with a milkshake, and the next day, you are a forty-year-old woman, who, if she dares finish the last few fries on her daughter?s plate, is likely guaranteed a more difficult jean ?pulling up? episode the following morning.

So what are we to do?  Accept this fate?  Resolve that we had some good times, and now we will accept our new bodies by becoming best friends with Carol in the Spanx department of Bloomingdales, and only wear bathing suits that cover every inch of our body, but tell people we love the retro look like Taylor Swift?  I don?t think so, and, please imagine I am waving my index finger in the air when I say that.

A simple plan is sometimes the most effective:

Make a decision: If you are spending so much time complaining about your body, you are wasting time.  Decide to do something about it.  This is the most important step.

View exercise as another errand that needs to get done every day: Write it down in your planner, or make it a recurring event in your phone.  Depending on your schedule, you may be able to exercise as soon as the kids get off to school, or if you need to get to the office, you might need to wake up before the kids do to get your time in.  You have to change your thinking and make exercise as much a priority as meeting a project deadline, or picking your kids up from school.

?I don?t know why I gain weight, I eat so healthy.?: Write it down.  We truly have no concept of how much we eat in a day.  Maybe Victoria Beckham does, but that?s about it.  I snack way more than I should.  I eat Sour Patch Kids like grapes. Even if you commit to exercising daily, if you eat poorly, you will not reach your fitness goals. In Dr. Oz?s book, You On A Diet, he recommends that just cutting 100 calories a day from your diet will produce more lasting results than if you tried to drop 400 calories. Once we write everything down, we can see what could easily be eliminated.

Seek help if you need it: Sometimes we need extra motivation from the experts.  See if your gym offers a free training consultation.  Invest in a meeting with a nutritionist who can make an easy to follow meal plan for you.  Also, groups like Weight Watchers offer great online support and programs.

Grab a friend:  Unfortunately, often we put ourselves last in our life?s list of things to take care of.  Making a pact with a friend to work out together and eat healthy is a great motivator.  You now are partly responsible for the health and fitness goals of someone else.  You can support her, and she you.

So send Carol from Spanx a ? Thinking of You? card, and move on.  Oh, and don?t forget the best fitness advice ever.  Lululemon. Wearing their pants is the equivalent of at least fifty squats.