By Jamie Ness

Many folks look at a trainer and see a robot who only cares about dumbbells and protein shakes or wonder what their secret could be.

The truth is, health and fitness are the result of a series of choices to be made each day.

So many people don’t take the first step to a healthier lifestyle because the destination or goal seems so far off and so hard to achieve.

As you know, all journeys start with a single step.

Louis and Clark didn’t skip ahead to the end of their journey, and you can’t either.

Just like Louis and Clark, your journey must contain thousands of little steps in the right direction if you are to reach your destination.

Let’s look more closely at how the little things add up.

Let’s say every day for two years you consumed one Oreo cookie. We will use two years since the Louis and Clark expedition took more than two years to complete. Each Oreo contains about 53 calories and there are 365 days in one year. At 53 calories a day for 365 day for two years, that equals 38,690 calories consumed. A pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories, so 38,690 calories is equal to 11 pounds of fat.

Now, let’s consider that instead of eating a cookie every single day for two years, you went for a 5-minute walk at a normal pace. That would burn about 28 calories for a 170-pound person. Using the same math as above, that equal 20,440 calories burned int two years, or about six pounds of fat.

As you can see, consuming just a tiny amount less each day, combined with exercising just a tiny bit more each day could result in a 17-pound positive swing in your weight in two years.

Start making good choices every day, even if they are small choices.

If passing on that one cookie, and taking that little 5-minute walk around the neighborhood are worth 17 pounds, then get started today.

Jamie Ness has been personal trainer since 2013, and currently provides services at the College Park gym in Winchester. He has nine years of track and field/cross country coaching experience ranging from middle school to NCAA Division I. He is an NSCA certified strength and conditioning specialist and received his master’s degree in kinesiology and health promotion from the University of Kentucky in 2012. For more information, visit http://nessxv.wixsite.com/jamie-ness-training or email jamie.ness@uky.edu.