I quit dieting when I was about 17 years old. Oh ... I think I tried to diet a couple times since then, but when I diet, I gain weight, so what's the point of that!!

Instead, I exercise ..... lots!!

Right now the daily recommended amount of exercise is 60 minutes a day to MAINTAIN a basic level of fitness, and if you've got any weight to lose the recommendation is 90 minutes a day.

I dropped from 170 lbs down to 120 lbs eating whatever I wanted to eat ... and exercising a lot. I've fluctuated a bit since then ... I'll gain a bit of weight in the winter when I don't get as much exercise ... but then I'll lose it again in the summer. Just today I stepped on the scale and discovered that I had lost 14 lbs since the end of March.

Now about the types of exercise. If you can get on the bicycle for an hour or two a day 5-6 days a week, with longer rides now and then, that would be great. But in addition to that, include exercise in your daily life.

-- park at the opposite end of the parking lot to the store and walk from there. I hardly ever park right next to the store doors, and the great thing about parking 500 metres away from the store you're heading too is that you'll have your choice of parking spot because everyone else is fighting for the closer spots.

-- park as far away from work as you reasonably can. If you can commute to work by bicycle or by walking, that would work well, or on days where that is not possible, park a couple blocks away. When I was in University over the past winter, I parked about 1.5 kms away from the college ... and now I park almost a kilometer away from the place where I work when I drive.

-- take the stairs rather than the elevator.

-- walk or cycle with your kids to the parks in your neighborhood ... and then run around and play with them there.

-- at work, get up and walk around whenever possible. Walk around the block at lunch, walk around the office on your coffee breaks.

Basically ... whenever you have the opportunity to move ... move!!