Words That Move You . .

"If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don't spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it."
— Priscilla Welch (winner of the 1987 New York City Marathon, at age 42)

"I learned that the only way you are going to get anywhere in life is to work hard at it. Whether you're a musician, a writer, an athlete, or a businessman, there is no getting around it. If you do, you'll win — if you don't, you won't."
— Bruce Jenner, Olympic Gold Medalist, Decathalon

"If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all."
— Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Our limitations and success will be based, most often, on our own expectations for ourselves. What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon."
—Denis Waitley

"The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward."
— Amelia Earhart

"It is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities."
— JK Rowling

"Don't let what you can't do stop you from doing what you can do."
— John Wooden

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."
— Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food

"Don't just do something new once and give up. Give yourself eight tries . . . then if you absolutely hate it, move on to something else."
— Gabby Reece in Shape magazine

"The best runner is the runner who is having the most fun."
— Ultra Marathoner Dean Karnazes from his book

"So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health.”
— A. J. Reb Materi

"The physically fit can enjoy their vices."
— Lord Percival

"What defines a person's character is not how you are when you're on top. It's how you are when you're on the bottom and working your way back."
— Serena Williams, in the August 2008 issue of Glamour

"When I am in the water, it is one of the few times I forget about the leg and I am completely free — that is who I am."
— Natalie Du Toit
(She may not have medaled in the 6.2-mile open-water swim, but Olympic swimmer Du Toit has an incredibly inspiring story. After losing her leg in a motorcycle accident in 2001, the South African decided to swim against able-bodied athletes in this year's Olympics and came in 16th. In September she will compete in the Paralympics.)

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing; that's why we recommend it daily."
— Zig Ziglar

"You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the further you get."
—Michael Phelps

"If anyone young is reading this, go, right this minute, put on a bikini and don’t take it off until you’re 34."
— Nora Ephron from I Feel Bad About My Neck

"If you really take care of yourself, your body will take care of you."
— Bob Harper, trainer from the Biggest Loser

"I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m never going to be Jennifer Aniston. I spent too long trying to get a body like Jennifer Aniston. It never worked. I had liposuction, and everything else. Then I realized, oh, what if I just ate better and exercised."
— Kathy Griffin, Emmy award-winning comedian in Fitness

"Continuous effort — not strength or intelligence — is the key to unlocking our potential."
—Liane Cardes

"Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon."
—Doug Larson

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it."
– Oprah Winfrey

”Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”
—Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France

”Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”
—Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France

"Satisfaction lies in the effort, not the attainment. Full effort is full victory."
—Mahatma Gandhi

"Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."
- Will Rogers

"Fall seven times, stand up eight."
—Japanese proverb

“When I first started running, I was so embarrassed I'd walk when cars passed me. I'd pretend I was looking at the flowers.”
– Joan Benoit Samuelson*, winner of the 1984 Olympic marathon

"Success is the good fortune that comes from aspiration, desperation, perspiration, and inspiration."
—Evan Esar

"We do not stop exercising because we grow old — we grow old because we stop exercising."
—Dr. Kenneth Cooper

"There are no tricks. Tricks don’t work. Discipline does."
—Madonna

"I do not want to waste one more minute of my life feeling bad about the way I look. If you're obsessed with how you look in your bikini, you're not going to have much fun at the beach."
—Christina Ricci

"Health is like money, we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it."
— Josh Billings

"Health is the thing that makes you feel that now is the best time of the year."
—Franklin P. Adams

"Eat moderately; live bountifully. Enjoy healthy foods. You want your body to last a very long time."
—Maria Shriver

"Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can."
—Unknown

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.”
—Henry Ford

“If I’d known I was going to live so long, I’d have taken better care of myself.”
—Leon Eldred

"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going."
– Beverly Sills

"Our growing softness, our increasing lack of physical fitness, is a menace to our security."
— John F. Kennedy

"If you want to lose weight, forget about apple cider vinegar. Weight loss requires effort and commitment. The only formula you can depend on is eating less and exercising more."
—Andrew Weil, M.D.

"Eat for what you're about to do, not for what you've done."
—Anonymous

"Worry about global warming, worry about whether Heidi will marry Spencer from The Hills and populate the world with little blond idiots, but don't worry that lifting will make your muscles burst out of your clothes."
— Alwyn Cosgrove, coauthor of The New Rules of Lifting for Women

“If it weren't for dogs, some people would never go for a walk.”
—Anonymous

"The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It's your mind you have to convince."
— Vince Lombardi

"Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels."
—Anonymous

"50 Years ago people finished a day's work and needed rest. Today they need exercise."
—Anonymous

"Dieting is not a piece of cake."
—Anonymous

"Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork."
—English Proverb

"Exercise: you don't have time not to."
—Anonymous

"It's much more interesting to change your life to suit the temperature than to change the temperature to suit your life. The seasons change, and we should change with them. Life isn't meant to be lived year round at 70 degrees."
—Mary Schmich

"If your dog is fat, you're not getting enough exercise."
—Unknown

"Happiness is more a state of health than of wealth."
—Frank Tyger

"The trouble with many plans is that they are based on the way things are now. To be successful, your personal plan must focus on what you want, not what you have."
— Nido Qubein

"It's a dream until you write it down, and then it's a goal."
– Anonymous

"Doing your best is more important than being the best."
- Anonymous

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."
—Confucius

"You can't turn back the clock, but you can wind it back up again."
—Anonymous

"The one thing worse than a quitter is the person who is afraid to even begin."
- Anonymous

I don't wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work.
– Pearl S. Buck, American novelist and Pulitzer-prize winner

"A lot of us would like to move mountains, but few of us are willing to practice on small hills."
- Anonymous

"Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is."
Vince Lombardi

"I'm not telling you it is going to be easy — I'm telling you it is going to be worth it."
- Art Williams

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."
— Carl Bard

"If you want to know your past - look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future - look into your present actions."
- Buddhist Saying

"Life has no limitations, except the ones you make." —Les Brown Source

“The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.” -- Benjamin E.

"I always loved running... it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs."—Jesse Owens, 1936 Olympic Gold Medal Winner

"Don't be afraid of weights. They're the quickest way to change your body."– Valerie Waters, celebrity fitness trainer

"I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing." — Marsha Doble Source

"If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or fight like hell." —Lance Armstrong

“A man's health can be judged by which he takes two at a time - pills or stairs.” - Joan Welsh

“It's not how hard you fall, but how fast you get up.” - Kristine Lilly (pictured in white jersey), team captain of the US Women's National Soccer Team

Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second. Give your dreams all you’ve got and you’ll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you.— William James

"Take charge of your life. Every day is a new day."-Bob Harper fitness trainer for "The Biggest Loser"

“Go pump some neurons! Expand your craniums!”
— Robin Williams, in “Mrs. Doubtfire”

"Yoga is a system, scientifically proven to boost your climbing ability significantly. Why do you think you always see that Guru figure sitting on the top of the mountain? You think he/she got there by enlightenment?"
- Lg.

“The more things you do, the more you can do.”
- Lucille Ball Source

"Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness."
-Earl of Derby Source

"A strong, positive self-image is the best possible preparation for success."
-Dr. Joyce Brothers

“Yet when we bring all our heart to any activity, we come alive and actually have the opportunity to live the way we say we want to.”
-Tiger Woods Source

"I feel that the greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more."
- Dr. Jonas Salk

"Someone who is busier than you is running right now."
- Nike Source

"Do your best, one shot at a time and then move on. Remember that golf is just a game."
- Nancy Lopez

"You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them."
- Michael Jordan

"It should be as unthinkable to skip your workout as it is to skip brushing your teeth." -Gunnar Peterson, Celebrity Personal Trainer

"I love to cook for myself. It's my stay-healthy secret. Making a simple dinner actually calms me down after a harried day." - Jennifer Garner

"It's very important to have the right clothing to exercise in. If you throw on an old T-shirt or sweats, it's not inspiring for your workout." -- Cheryl Tiegs

"The body is meant to be seen, not all covered up." -Marilyn Monroe

"It's always hard to recover after a loss. . . . I have to know when it's time to step up, not to revert back to bad habits but to keep ahead with the good ones."-Venus Williams,2005 Wimbledon Champion

"Another thing I know for sure now is that you’ve got to ask yourself, What kind of life do you want and how close are you to living it? You cannot ever live the life of your dreams without coming face to face with the truth. Every unwanted pound creates another layer of lies. It’s only when you peel back those layers that you will be set free: Free to work out, free to eat responsibly, free to live the life you want and deserve to live. Tell the truth and you’ll learn to eat to satisfy your physical hunger and stop burying your hopes and dreams beneath layers of fat."
- Excerpt from The Best Life Diet by Oprah Winfrey

"You may delay, but time will not." -Benjamin Franklin