At the bottom of this post is an almost X-rated photo of brother John. Yes, I’m serious. He sent me a current selfie of  his abs, and not wanting to chance offending any of my readers, I chose to place his photo discretely below the RSS facebook feed line.

My brother didn’t used to have abs—at least, none that I knew of. But now he does, thanks to a commitment he made to himself earlier this year.

About the time I announced I was entering the “maintenance phase” of my own health and fitness plan for life, John joined Gold’s Gym and signed up for the New Year challenge. Never one to do anything halfway, he got a kick-butt trainer and fully committed to his grueling five-times-a-week workouts!

Fast-forward three months and 38 pounds lighter, and here he is. I’m sure he would have lost even more weight had he not been exercising so hard. Some of his prior “soft tissue” has been replaced by genuine muscle mass, and as we all know, muscle weighs more than flab.

I am so freakin’ proud of my brother! He’s eating right, continuing to exercise, and is determined to drop some additional poundage even though the actual “challenge” is over.

“Getting fit” gives us payoffs we can’t even imagine. General health risks are dramatically reduced, the need for medication is lessened (or eliminated), and our stamina and zest for life activities is dramatically increased.

It’s a win-win, and I hope anyone reading this who needs encouragement will be inspired to get away from the computer (yes, right NOW) and go for a walk. Your life may literally depend on it.