Contrary to what many people think, it’s possible to get fit and stay fit without too much sacrifice. Fit people know best that it isn’t about how much things we give up – it’s about finding balance and sticking to it with minor positive changes.

If your goal is to get in shape and stay in shape together, develop these habits that many highly fit people follow and you’ll discover how easy it can be.

1. Stick to the 85/15 rule

It’s nothing but a myth that fit people have to give up so many things like occasional drinks and sweets and that they only eat tasteless food. The trick is in moderation. A balanced diet isn’t cutting out all that you enjoy eating but using a simple ’85/15′ rule. It means that fit people eat nutritive, healthy (‘clean’) food 85% of their time. Then 15% of their time, they also include other foods they may like, which may be more processed, and contain more simple sugar – actually, they eat what they want in each seventh meal.

2. Challenging yourself

Healthy competition is always motivating as it pushes you harder and doesn’t allow you to give up. Even though having a friend you can compete with is great, the healthiest form of competition is the one against yourself.

Plain working out means you don’t really have a specific plan but if you train in order to test and push your own limits, then it’s something else. It gives you structure and a clear goal to strive to.

That way, fit people never get bored because they always find new challenges to overcome.

3. Setting a deadline

It’s hard to achieve a goal if you don’t set a deadline. Fit people find it easier to achieve something because they have a specific amount of time to do it, meaning their motivation is higher and it’s less likely they will give up.

A deadline will prevent procrastination.

You also shouldn’t stop with the new regime after you’ve reached your goal. Set a new one and move on. Remember – it’s about progress, not achieving perfection.

4. Never taking a break from training

If you frequently travel for work or go on holiday, that’s no excuse for stopping being physically active. Even a bit of exercise can be enough for you to stay in shape. So, before you leave home, talk to your trainer about options you have when you’re away.

You can simply bring a TRX strap or a resistance band for a couple of exercises. You can also bring a workout DVD if that works better for you.

5. A back-up plan for your healthy diet

It’s pretty easy to maintain a healthy diet when you’re at home. But there will be tons of occasions when you’ll be away, at work or simply in too much of a rush to prepare a healthy meal. So, the solution is to have a prepared plan. Always have healthy snacks packed, check out the restaurant menu ahead so that you know there are healthy options and bring your lunch to work.

Fit people sometimes also find it hard to find time to cook so they order food from time to time.  However, they won’t order a pizza in that case but a healthy choice. As many companies that deal with food delivery have lots of healthy meal plans, it’s not hard at all to always have healthy meals throughout the day.

6. No emotional overeating

There’s no person alive who hasn’t found comfort in a piece of chocolate or candy at least once in their lives. We all know that frustration, stress and sadness can sometimes lead us to find an emotional release in food (usually the unhealthy kind). Repeating this pattern for too long will result in excess weight, so it’s best if you find another way to relieve your frustrations and sadness.

Fit people have healthy ways to relieve stress – they rather go for a long walk, call a friend or take a warm bath.

7. Getting rid of temptations

When you open your fridge, what type of food do you see there? Is it filled with processed foods, ice cream and Cola?

If you keep unhealthy food in your home, you’ll definitely give in the temptation far too often. Stop this completely by throwing away the unhealthy food that you can’t resist. Stock up on fruits and vegetables – when it’s always within your reach, it won’t be so hard to stick to healthy meals.

8. Not skipping breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal for your metabolism. A high protein meal in the morning will make sure you have the energy for the day and that you don’t succumb to unhealthy temptations at work. If you feel like you’re starving at work because you’ve skipped your breakfast, you’ll probably overeat while also slow down your metabolism. So, besides always having breakfast, try to eat smaller meals every 3 or 4 hours.

9. Regular hydration

It’s no secret that we need between 2 and 3 liters of water every day but fit people actually do it. Many times, the thirst can be mixed up with the feeling of hunger, which is one more reason why you should hydrate your body regularly. It will speed up your metabolism and make you feel full.

10. Sufficient sleep

A good night’s rest is more important than you think. Besides preventing you from feeling cranky, it will also allow your body to recover from everyday stress.

Consequently, it will make you more energetic in the gym but it will also increase your mental activity. So, make sure you get your 7-8 hours of sleep.

All in all

Fit people don’t do wonders. They simply follow some very simple rules and stick to their healthy habits.

You can change a lot only by adapting minor things in your life. The rest will come in time. Once your good habits have grown roots, there’ll be no problems with staying in shape.

Author Bio:

Helen Bradford is a journalism student who always seeks new ideas to write about. She enjoys blogging about beauty, health and style trends for women. When she’s not writing, she spends her spare time being active through fitness and traveling

Photos by:

• Stage 7 Photography
• Hipcravo
• Kate Stone Matheson
• Nadya Spetnitskaya 
• Tyler Nix on Unsplash

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