As a registered nurse and a certified personal trainer, I have spent the past 18 years exercising and learning about fitness. You name it and I’ve done it: CrossFit, bodybuilding, sports training, HIIT and heart rate “zone” training.

My fitness journey started as a preteen boy trying to gain weight for football, and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned more about exercise as the science that it is. It’s a balance of calories in versus calories out. If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight and vice versa

Your body is a fine-tuned machine. It was meant to be lean and strong and to be active standing up, walking around and eating healthy natural foods. Your body is also smart and when given the chance to adapt and conserve calories, it will. You must always keep your body guessing.

Many people ask me, “Did you become a personal trainer because nursing doesn’t pay you enough?” The answer is ‘No.’ Nursing pays me just fine. The truth is, I love personal training. I love helping people and I want people to have the same passion about improving their overall fitness as I do

You may only have 78 years or so in this human vehicle we have. Why not treat it right and invest a little time in it each day to improve your quality of life.

One thing I see every day when I come into the gym is the same people using the same machines. It’s like Groundhog Day. The truth is, doing the same cardio every day, 365 days a year, is a waste of time. Most likely your body has adapted to this exercise stimulus and your metabolism is ready and waiting to conserve calories to prevent you from losing weight.

If you want to see the scale move, try lifting weights for 30 minutes and then do 30 minutes of cardio. Once you hit a weight-loss plateau, change it up, either in your diet or your exercise routine. Gain two pounds of muscle and I guarantee you will lose fat.

Science alert: Your daily calorie expenditure is made up of three things: your basal metabolic rate (what it takes for your body to stay alive; this makes up about 60%); thermic effects of food(this is how many calories is takes for your body to actually process and digest your food you eat; this makes up about 10%-15%) and the rest comes from how active you are in both intentional exercise and non-exercise, including going to the grocery store, getting up to pet your dog, or something as simple as blinking your eyes or fidgeting your leg while you read.

I recommend exercising for an hour 4-5 times a week and constantly switching it up by lifting weights, doing cardio, swimming, running outside, doing yoga, playing basketball, or even sitting in a sauna for 30 minutes. On top of this exercise routine, I recommend every person stay aware of your regular daily activities. Try to stay active outside of the gym, avoid watching television too much, socialize and take an exercise class with friends, find a hobby that keeps you active, or go outside for a walk after you eat a meal. After all, we only get one life, so let’s live it happy and healthy together.