Let’s keep this simple!!

Trying to lose weight? You’re not alone. Every day, millions of people are trying to make healthier choices to support an active, long life. But, it’s by no means easy. There is so much information and misinformation out there when it comes to what you should be eating, and how much, in order to lose weight and stay healthy. Unfortunately, there is no clear-cut right or wrong answer. Every body is different.

Some people, for example, will fuel their bodies with dairy products in order to get lots of vitamins, minerals, and proteins. Of course, other people won’t touch a dairy product with a ten-foot pole due to lactose intolerance and other digestive issues. That’s a perfect example of how different we can be from one another. It’s also a good reminder of why you can’t simply take the diet plan that works great from someone else, copy it exactly, and expect to get identical results.

It All Starts with Diet

Even though getting fit is usually thought of as being a mixture of both diet and exercise. The truth is that if you were to break down into percentages, getting fit involves 80% diet and 20% exercise. At the end of the day, you can exercise all you want, but you can’t out exercise a bad diet. So, if your main hang-up is finding time to exercise, then the good news is that you can still get very fit just by dieting. Supplement that with some basic exercise and you will be in really good shape. Obviously, if you want to get a lot of muscle or get really toned, then exercise takes on more importance. But even then, it still doesn’t become as important as diet.

When figuring out what you should eat in order to get fit, you should start by thinking about your current diet. Cutting out the unhealthy is always a good start. We all know that we should avoid sodas, chips, and other junk food that constitutes empty calories. These are foods that deliver no nutritional content and ultimately don’t fill us up. Instead, we just end up digesting a lot of calories that put us at a higher risk of weight gain.

So, working to cut out such foods is the first step to being fitter. At the very least, work to cut back on them. In doing so, you’ll be able to fill up more of your plate with healthy calories that do actually support your body. When choosing those healthy foods, think about both what you are willing to eat and what you know you should be eating.

Reaching for fruits and vegetables, for example, is always a good idea. Vegetables should be a mainstay in your daily diet. Supplement those calories with the other food groups that you are able to eat, like lean meats and fish. Look at your macronutrient intake to see where you’re lacking and find a balance that works for you.

And, remember, the key to getting fit isn’t restriction, its reservation. With portion control, you can continue to enjoy the foods you love.

Don’t Forget…..Focus On A Simple Exercise Regimen

A lot of exercise regimens online are overly complex. They require you to learn a bunch of different routines and buy a bunch of different equipment. There’s a simple exercise regimen that everyone can do in their own home that will get them in good shape and not require huge investments of time or money.

Simply start with some stretching to get your muscles loose. Then, do a heavy bout of good cardio (running on a treadmill, running down your street, etc.). Then do a set of resistance training (like lunges, resistance band exercise, and other, similar exercises). Then cool off with some very light exercise like a light jog, some yoga, or something similar.

Do this set a few times a week and you will be in good shape in no time. No need to try out a hundred different intense exercise routines either.

P.S. Embrace Lifestyle Changes

Much like you can’t out exercise a bad diet, you can’t out exercise a bad lifestyle. At the end of the day, if you want to stay fit, you have to get used to small lifestyle changes that can have a really positive impact on your life. For example, learn to start taking the stairs whenever you can. Learn to walk places instead of driving.