20 Secrets of Very Fit People
Looking to get into great shape? Below are 20 secrets of fit people that you can follow to get — and stay — in shape.
Use These Secrets of Fit People to Reach Your Fitness Goals
Read these tips, then print them out and post them somewhere you see them every day as a daily reminder!
1. Keep a Water Bottle With You At All Times
Keep a water bottle with you at all times and drink from it often. Water should always be your drink of choice.
To kick things up every once in a while, try adding fruit and herbs to liven up the flavor without adding significant calories.
If staying hydrated while you’re working out is a problem, incorporate Beachbody Performance Hydrate into your routine to replace what you lose when you sweat.
2. Look at Exercise as a Pleasure and a Privilege
…As opposed to a burden or chore. Think positively about the changes regular exercise will produce. Rather than obsessing about your next meal, get excited about your next workout!
3. Eat Clean
Eat well-balanced meals and remember that excess calories will turn into excess weight. No matter what the latest fad diet says, extra calories equal extra weight!
If you’re overwhelmed by the thought of meal planning, this guide can take the guesswork out of eating for the body of your dreams.
4. Watch Out for Smoke and Caffeine
Limit caffeine and exposure to secondhand smoke. Inhaling secondhand — or thirdhand — smoke can cause respiratory infections and symptoms like coughing and sneezing that can compromise your health and your ability to breathe normally during exercise.
Likewise, sugary coffee drinks can derail your healthy eating patterns. Aim for a cup of hot tea or black coffee instead.
5. Focus on Short-Term Goals
Focus on short-term fitness goals with an emphasis on completing daily exercise. Making a few SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals will help you see the progress you want to make.
6. Keep a Food Journal
Keep a daily log of what you’re actually eating. This includes every time you grab a handful of chips here or eat the crust of your kid’s sandwich there, and all of your snacking.
The TurboTracker Journal is a great resource for logging your meals and workouts. You’ll be surprised to see where those pesky extra calories are coming from!
7. Allow for a Cheat Treat
Enjoy an occasional (once a week) “unhealthy” treat, but never an unhealthy week or unhealthy vacation. If you do find yourself stuck after overindulging on junk food, here’s how to get back on track after a binge.
8. Invite Others to Join You
Enjoy contributing to the health of others by having a partner or friends to exercise with, as well as recruiting others who want to feel better and have more energy.
Have a neighbor who’s sitting on the porch every morning when you walk by? Ask him or her to join you on your walk!
You’ll be more likely to keep your goals if you have an accountability partner and enjoy your workout.
9. Shake it Up
Avoid monotony by taking up new forms of exercising, or using things that keep you motivated and inspired, like new shoes or great music. Choosing a program you enjoy is important. In Country Heat, you can dance away the pounds to your favorite country hits.
10. Read About Health (or Find Inspiration on Instagram!)
Subscribe to fitness magazines to keep focused on health as an overall way of life.
Don’t want the extra paper cluttering up your house? Make sure to visit a healthy lifestyle blog every day (like this one!) or find some fitness folks to inspire you on Instagram! I’m on there, too, at @chalenejohnson.
11. Wear Quality Workout Clothes
Invest in the right tools including good shoes, and comfortable, quality workout clothes. Sometimes it’s simply the right outfit that can motivate you enough to put in a good workout.
12. Exercise [Almost] Every Day
Make it your goal to do some form of exercise six days a week. If your workout program is just six days a week, get a walk in on the other days.
Daily exercise can offset many of the negative effects that disruptions to your routine, like holidays, can bring. It can also make you feel better.
13. Don’t Compare
Don’t compare your body to those of others. Instead, love yourself as you are and just work to reach your personal best.
Keeping a positive self-image throughout your fitness journey is crucial to receiving the results you deserve.
14. Balance Your Meals
If your diet is unbalanced, make an effort to fix that, but also consider taking a multivitamin. Adding supplements to your diet can make up for the areas your food consumption is missing.
15. Work Harder
Work to take your exercise to new levels of intensity. Choose a challenging program like P90X or INSANITY to push your body harder and keep your fitness moving forward.
16. Make an Exercise Schedule
Create an exercise schedule the day before instead of leaving it to chance or waiting to “find” the time.
Even if you’re not a morning person, squeezing in a morning workout is a good way to make sure you get your exercise in for the day.
17. Redefine Success
Move beyond the boundaries of weight loss and into total fitness. Measure success by the way your clothes fit, your energy level, or your reduction in pain or stiffness, not the number on a scale.
18. Stick With Eating Plans You Can Maintain Indefinitely
Stick with eating plans you can maintain indefinitely. Remember that no matter how hard you’re working out, if you’re consuming too many calories, you’ll never see the muscles that lie beneath layers of fatty tissue.
Here’s what you need to maintain your weight loss.
19. Get Rest
Get adequate amounts of sleep so your muscles can recover from all of your hard work. If you’re still experiencing soreness, even after ample rest, consider adding Recover to your routine.
An added bonus of exercise: Most people who exercise regularly fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly!
20. Watch Your Alcohol Intake
Limit alcohol intake to special occasions. Drinking alcohol limits your willpower, fills you with empty calories and messes up your sleep schedule. Why compromise your success?