And now for our dirty word for the day: Plateau. Just saying the word out loud is indicative of its meaning - Something long and flat and going nowhere (and, if you're a southerner, those extra syllables just keep going and going and going...)

Plateaus are common in the world of exercise and weight loss and, though frustrating, they do serve a purpose. While we'd like to see constant movement - The scale going down, the weights going up, our workouts getting easier - Our bodies, like most things in life, need time to stop and tread water for a bit.

You can try avoiding plateaus but, the truth is, they will happen.

As you exercise and lose weight, your body gets more efficient at exercise and, as a result, expends less energy. That's actually a good thing, giving you a stronger foundation and one that allows you to take things to the next level (just one of the solutions to plateaus).

Also, as you lose weight, you have less body to move around so, naturally, you'll expend fewer calories. That's also a good thing, a sign that you're making progress.

Thinking of plateaus, what's your experience? Do you ever hit plateaus and, if so, what do you do about them? Or perhaps you need some guidance on what to do about them. Either way, vote in this week's poll and tell us about your exercise and weight loss plateaus.

What's the difference between people who exercise and people who don't? My husband's answer? "You're all insane."

That certainly may be true but, beyond inherent craziness, that's not an easy question to answer, since we're all different. Genetics, background, body type, family history, lifestyle habits...all of these (and whatever crazy you bring to the table) come together to make us who we are and what we choose to do.

There are a lot of things we can't control, but there is one avenue to explore, if you struggle to exercise: Your mind. The truth is, exercisers don't necessarily have more time than other people. In fact, I know plenty of exercisers who find a way to workout no matter what's going on in their lives and one reason they can do that is that they've learned how to make exercise a priority.

If you fall into the non-exercising category, there are a few things you can learn from how exercisers perceive working out, something I talk about in my article, How to Think Like an Exerciser.

Changing how you think isn't something you can do overnight but, if you're struggling to keep going, you may find some ideas to try. Whether you're struggling with exercise or you've figured it all out, be sure to leave a comment to tell us about your experiences. How does the way you think affect your workouts (or lack thereof)? Do you look for ways to exercise or for reasons to skip it?

We (or maybe it's just me) talk a lot about setting realistic fitness and weight loss goals, but you may not realize how important that is. The reason? Every time you fail to meet those expectations, you not only feel bad about yourself, your dopamine levels actually drop, taking you in a downward spiral of frustration and depression. (If you want to learn more, check out David Rock's Your Brain at Work (compare prices), an excellent discussion of how your brain responds to different situations).

Here's an example: You wake up in the morning with a plan to exercise after work. You visualize it, maybe even feel a little excited about your coming success. Your expectation? That you'll still have that energy, that same good feeling as your workout time rolls around.

But what really happens after work? You're tired, cranky, hungry. Instead of visualizing a great workout, you're imagining the effort it will take - Finding a parking place, changing clothes, fighting for space and machines...and that's before you even start exercising. Suddenly, it doesn't look so appealing and what started out smelling like roses now smells suspiciously like failure. But, is it really failure or could it be your expectations were too high?

Having realistic weight loss expectations starts with knowing what your expectations actually are. Sometimes, we often don't even realize we have expectations until we don't meet them. If you find you're disappointed in yourself more often than not, take a look at your expectations and objectively decide if they're realistic.

If you step on the scale and feel disappointed, what number were you expecting to see? Were you hoping to lose 5 pounds over night? Is that realistic?

If you vow to eat healthy all day, only to run into the same old temptations and giving into them, what were you expecting of yourself? Did you have all the resources, all the support you needed to deal with those temptations or were those expectations unrealistic?

The good news is, just as unmet expectations cause dopamine levels to drop, every time you meet expectations, those levels go up, making you feel good about yourself and motivating you even more. What do you think? Do unmet expectations keep you stuck in a cycle of frustration and failure? If so, changing your expectations may be just what you need to feel successful.

The reverse fly is perfect for working the upper back and rear delts, and propping one foot on a step behind you forces your core and stability muscles to work even harder, getting the entire body involved in the exercise. You can add even more of a challenge by lifting that back leg up instead of resting it on a step.

Do it right: Stand 2 or so feet in front of a step or platform and prop one foot on it, bending forward (back straight, abs in) with weights hanging down. Squeeze the shoulder blades to lift the arms up to the shoulder level, elbows slightly bent. Lower and repeat for 1-3 sets of 8-16 reps, switching legs for each set.