Twenty years post high school graduation. You find yourself 50 pounds heavier, three kids hanging around your waist. You haven't seen your feet in over a decade and most days you are doing good to get off the couch once you get home. Exhausted always, a typical day after 5pm is comfy clothes and comfort foods as you drown your sorrows in a bud-light.

You just assume everyone you went to school with is in a similar situation as yourself.

Until one day you run into an old high school friend you have not seen in twenty years. This particular friend was a little pudgy in high school. He/ She was not the most popular kid but not a complete loser either. You run into them one day out while running errands and notice that they have gotten better with age. No weight gain, in fact they look muscular and fit. What is their secret, you think? Why could that not happen to me? I'm sure you will start playing the victim game, and think, "I bet they don't have kids", or "I'm sure they have a supportive spouse," or "I bet they have had botox, lipo, and plastic surgery".

Could it be that this old friend decided that he/she was not defined by their weight and chose to live healthier. To make better dietary choices, to exercise a few days a week. To not go home and sit in front of a television with a large pizza and coke. We all have the power to change. Why is weight gain over time the norm?

It is time to take control of your life. Stop giving your power away to convenience foods and laziness. Join a gym, higher a trainer, and get your body moving. You too can look amazing as your age. Decide what defines you and go after it with maximum intensity. Do not wait, start today!