Getting fit and healthy can seriously change your life. People fail to realise that we only get one life, and one body, so it’s important to make the most of it. By concentrating on what we put into our bodies and how we exercise, we can ward off illnesses and diseases, as well as feel happier and look better. There are no end of benefits that exercising and eating right can provide for us. If you are a beginner when it comes to all this, this guide will help you to get fit and change your life with everything you need to know. Don’t wait any longer to get started!

It’s a Marathon, Not a Race

Getting fit and healthy is not about how fast you can get to where you want to be. It can be easy to think this way, especially with all the rubbish published in magazines. Many celebrities seem to go from a size 16 to a size 6 in a matter of weeks. However, you must remember that they have a lot of money to help them along the way. Who knows, they may even be using shady techniques to achieve the results! Getting fit and healthy will be a long journey, especially if you haven’t tried to do anything like this before. It will take months to get to where you want to be, but the key is to enjoy the journey. Don’t try to rush it, as you’ll only make it harder on yourself and put yourself off.

You’ll Always Strive to Improve

Don’t think for one second that when you’re where you want to be you won’t want to improve even more. You’ll always strive to improve, no matter how far you’ve come. That’s the great thing about health and fitness; there’s always something new to focus on. You could aim to increase weight that you’re lifting, reps, speed, intensity, etc.

Your Attitude Needs to Be the First Thing to Change

Before you can change your eating habits or exercise habits, you need to change your attitude. This is the one thing holding most people back. They think too negatively to do anything about their problems. They think they can never look how they want to look. They think that they won’t be able to keep it up, or that they’ll be laughed at. These are all just excuses to stop us doing what needs to be done. Recognize when you make excuses and stop yourself from making them. Tell yourself that you can do whatever you set out to do, it’ll just take time. Think positively. Be kind to yourself. You’ll soon start to see the results that will spur you on!

You Don’t Have to Say Goodbye to Treats Forever

You might currently think that getting fit and healthy means saying goodbye to your favourite treats permanently. You’ll be pleased to know that this is not the case! You can enjoy your treats, but you must do this in moderation. If you have a lot of fat to lose, it’s probably best if you space your treats out more. However, many people like to have one or two cheat meals per week. These can be beneficial by helping to spur you on, as you aren’t depriving yourself. Cheat meals can also help to give your metabolism a boost if you’ve consistently been eating healthily. You don’t want your metabolism to slow down, so a cheat meal can help to give it a kick. Just make sure you don’t go crazy!

Image Author: Daniela Vladimirova

You Don’t Need to Spend Hours and Hours in the Gym

Spending hours in the gym is not what getting fit and healthy is about. In fact, you should never spend more than an hour in the gym if you want to see great results. Here are some of my top tips for getting in shape for good:

• Keep your workout routine varied through the week so you don’t feel bored and make excuses not to go.
• Don’t change your workouts too often, so you can see where you are making progress. You may be getting faster and stronger when lifting weights, for instance. Making sure you do the same routine for a few weeks will help you to see this.
• Record what you’re doing in the gym, how easy or hard you’re finding it, and anything else you find relevant. This can help you know how to progress. It’s also easier to see how far you’ve come!
• If you ever can’t get to the gym, there are plenty of home workouts you can do.
• Try interval training to get in and out of the gym as quickly as possible. You’ll also continue to burn fat and calories for long after you leave.

You’ll Probably Relapse

This can be disheartening to hear, but lots of people do. Everybody has days when they think their efforts aren’t good enough, and this can lead them to have a bit of a binge or a day off the gym feeling sorry for themselves. The important thing is to try to push these feelings to one side, and get back on it as soon as you can. Tell yourself that you won’t let yourself get back into such a vicious, unhealthy cycle. You’re worth so much more!

You Don’t Need to Go Hungry

Lots of people think that to lose weight, tone up, and look great that they need to live off salad leaves. This is totally false. The food you eat should fuel your workouts, or you won’t make any progress at all. You do need to eat plenty of veg, along with lean proteins. You can eat carbs too, just make sure you’re careful with your portion sizes and that you earn them after a workout. Going hungry is a sign that your body is about to start eating your muscle, so don’t let yourself get to that point. Eat every 3 hours to keep your metabolism working. Well, what are you waiting for? Change your life now!