Continuing from yesterday’s post – if you’re a Sandwiched Boomer in a rut, what follows are some more ideas to help you fight inertia.

Create weekly or even daily to-do lists. For example, if a regular exercise program is your ultimate goal, begin by penciling in a 20 minute walk twice a week after carpool or during your lunch hour. Organization and planning may sound like dirty words. But the more you concretize what you plan to do, the greater the chances are that you’ll follow through with your intentions.

Lower your expectations – and, for sure, don’t expect anything near perfection. Actually, there is no perfection, so relax. Start out small and accept baby steps. If Aunt Bess has moved into the nursing home across town, your only choices aren’t either to go daily or not at all. Pile the kids in the car one Sunday a month and enjoy an hour in the park with her and your family.

Give up the pleasure principle – that is, having exactly what you want when you want it. Next time you eat out, instead of finishing up with apple pie a la mode, visualize a thinner you in that little black dress at your upcoming 30th high school reunion. Delaying immediate gratification for future goals will lead to your feeling better about yourself and will nourish you way beyond your last bite of dessert.

Tune in this Thursday when we’ll be featuring Amy Sherman, licensed therapist and author of Distress-Free Aging: A Boomers’ Guide to Creating a Fulfilled and Purposeful Life.