With lifespans growing in leaps and bounds and problems like obesity and diabetes running rampant, it only makes sense that to fully enjoy your life right through to the end you have to take care of your body’s physical needs. So why do so many people fail when trying to adopt the fitness lifestyle?

If you’ve decided its time to get back in shape then its obvious you aren’t fit now, right? If you’re like most people that isn’t a new condition – either you’ve been too busy with your current lifestyle to stay in shape or it hasn’t been high on your priorities list until now. The point is that trying to immediately change your eating, sleeping and exercise levels all at once is most likely too great a challenge for you to face right now.

For your greatest chances of success you should ease your way into the fitness lifestyle step-by-step. Don’t draw each step out any longer than you need to, but be sure to stick with it until its become a habit that’s fully integrated into your day-to-day life. Here are some guidelines to help you get started along a healthier path…

1) See Your Doctor...

Interestingly, this is the easiest and most important of the steps – and it MUST come first. You may feel fine, but some of the most common problems like hypertension (high blood pressure) and Type 2 Diabetes don’t show outwardly at first. Either of these conditions, or others like them, will affect how you go about getting healthier so you really DO have to know…

2) Clean Your Kitchen…

This doesn’t involve doing the dishes or mopping the floor, but rather to ensuring the food you bring into the house is healthy with minimal, if any, snack foods or candy. If there’s no junk food in the house it’s much easier to keep your nutrition on track, so use up or give away any existing poor food choices and start self-auditing the contents of your shopping cart before proceeding to the checkout at the supermarket.

Take the money you save by skipping junk food and soda and buy high-quality vitamins, minerals and supplements with it. Genetically-modified foods and higher per-acre yields have reduced the benefits from fruits and vegetables to the point
where supplementation really is needed these days. If you’re on any prescription medications then check with your doctor or pharmacist – some interaction may affect your medications otherwise.

3) Start Stepping Into Fitness…

Once your healthy diet is a habit, it’s time to start walking. Walking is one of the best exercises for your body and can help with everything from balancing blood sugar and reducing high blood pressure to strengthening your heart and burning off body fat. Block out one hour a day, every day, and go for a walk for that hour. Note that walking on treadmill is not the same – get outside and walk for an hour a day year-round. In short order you’ll notice the difference – you can walk further during the hour, walk at a faster pace and/or have higher energy and better focus during the rest of your day.

4) Start Weight Training…

You’re eating right, sleeping right and walking an hour a day – you slipped a bit at first, but now they’re part of your daily routine and you’re feeling much better already. So now it’s time to hit the gym floor and make faster progress towards your goals. This isn’t going to add to your hectic schedule – you’re simply going to pick three non-consecutive days each week and replace your walk with an hour in the gym.

You’re not there to do cardio – you’re there to lift weights. The routine you’ll use will depend on your current condition and your goals – while losing fat or building muscle mass use different training styles, both use compound exercises using weights. Fortunately the routines are the same for men or women and for young or old. For best results hire a certified personal trainer for at least your first few exercise sessions, but if that’s out of reach then do your due diligence online before getting
started.

Adopting the fitness lifestyle and staying in great health is the wisest and most important investment you’ll ever make in your life, so don’t let others or your old habits interfere with your quest to get back in shape. Surround yourself with people who are supportive of your goals and constantly watch for small improvements you can make to fine-tune your new fitness lifestyle -you’ll be astounded at the difference it makes in EVERY area of your life!

After 30 years in marketing and advertising and 10 years as a top marketing mentor, speaker and consultant, Doug Champigny, the Success Lifestylist, realized his frantic business & speaking schedule was destroying his health. Now back in good health & top physical condition, Doug mentors people on how to balance their financial, physical, emotional & spiritual strengths, build them from there harmoniously and achieve a true success lifestyle. Learn more at Doug’s popular Flirting With Fitness website. For more help from Doug, add him to your circles on Google+ today!

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