Jillian Michaels on How to Improve Your Life Now

Exercise is the number one form of preventative medicine. It boosts your confidence, your energy levels, and your mood. Of all the things you can do to better your life, exercise is key. So find something you love to do whether it's yoga, hiking, exercise videos -- I don't care! -- and start doing more of it.

Suze Orman yelled at me once. She was asking me all these questions about my finances and I kept saying, "I don't know." So she sent me her book Money Class and I realized how important it is to know about your money. We always feel like we need an expert to tell us how to invest, how to save, but we don't. There's so much stress that comes with money, so educate yourself so you don't feel disempowered. It will have an enormous impact on your emotional well-being.

Using that word doesn't make you a bitch. It means you're setting healthy boundaries so you can take care of yourself.

There is a stigma surrounding therapy -- people think you have to be crazy to go. But therapy is about self-exploration. It's no secret that our worst enemy is ourselves. By exploring your own destructive behavior, you can learn how to get out of your own way. First step: Find out if your insurance will cover it.

Sleep promotes anti-aging, a healthy immune system, wellness, and productivity. If I'm overtired and have the choice between getting up at 6 a.m. to work out or sleeping a couple extra hours, I'll sleep in.

When you don't have down time to rest and rejuvenate, you're depleted and resentful. You need quiet time to figure out what brings meaning into your world and what you want to do next. So take your vacation -- even if it's a staycation where you take time off to do good things for yourself.

Be aggressive about getting routine blood pressure and cholesterol checks, pap smears, and mammograms. You may think what you don't know won't hurt you. But in this instance, what you don't know might kill you.

Avoid chemicals in your food at all costs. That means no trans fats, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, artificial colors, or artificial preservatives. If you eat real food and do it in moderation, you're way ahead of the game.