What an excellent place to start any week!!

I must be honest in that I am not into any formal type of exercise regime. However, I do stay in shape by being active with such things as walking, hiking and gardening. Oh, there's also that thing call housework - running up and down 3 flights of stairs every weekend hauling laundry and a vacumn cleaner helps.

Probably the best exercise is hiking. I am fortunate to live in BC where there are so many phenomenal hikes to go on - any level or length of time. Also, close to my home there are several trails that we walk regularly including a beach trail right along the Pacific Ocean. Not to exercise this way would be too sad.

Diet? Well, my husband and I are both in our normal weight range and pretty healthy so we generally eat anything we want. I do however, try to keep us on a balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables to go with the steak or the chicken or the roast beef.

We do indulge in junk foods every now and then but generally try to stick with the good stuff. We both have a passion for chocolate - especially DARK chocolate. Lots of good reasons to keep that one IN the diet plan.

Another form of exercise (and diet control) is a forced one - my job!! It keeps me busy and out of mischief for most of the week.

Another thing I would like to mention is that getting enough sleep makes all the difference for me. When I'm tired, I tend to be a lot lazier and don't take as much care in going for a walk (example) or preparing a good meal.

Thanks for getting this discussion going Christa. I look forward to hearing about other people's experiences and thoughts about how to stay fit and healthy.

Cheers, Betty