There are many wellness and fitness experts in the world who will tell you that you have to work hard to be healthy. But I’m here to tell you that’s not true. You can achieve a state of wellness and optimal functioning with very little effort if you just follow a few simple rules.

Let’s face it, we all want to get fit, stay healthy so that we can live full out.

If you are anything like me, you want to be fit and healthy. That means being strong and lean while staying active in daily life. You also want to be able to keep up with your kids as they grow up and continue living life fully as they get older. Unfortunately, trying to do all of this on your own is arduous because it requires too much time and effort if not done right. You need help! You need support! You need accountability! You need to be honest with yourself about what’s working and what’s not working for you, so that way when things start feeling tough or getting discouraging (and they will), there is something positive in place so that these times don’t completely derail your progress towards getting fit & staying healthy. And finally – most importantly – remember to love yourself. Loving yourself is an act of self care which will support everything else 🙂

It’s time to start thinking about your future self.

When you are ready to start a new fitness regime, it’s important to think about your future self—the person you could be if you follow through with your plans. Your future self is the ideal version of yourself, the person who has taken up all of these changes and maintained them for years on end. This is the person who is fit and healthy, the one who has embraced life fully and can’t wait to see what else it has in store for him.”

Your future self may have goals that are different from where you are now; perhaps he doesn’t want to go back to school or pursue another career path. That’s okay! As long as this new vision aligns with your values and aligns with what matters most to YOU (not someone else), then go for it! Your future self will be grateful that he didn’t compromise his happiness because other people thought that was what should happen next.”

It is time to purge foods (and habits) that are damaging you body, brain, attention and focus.

One of the most important things you can do is stop eating foods that are making you sick, fat and tired! You might be thinking: “But I’m OK! I feel fine!”

Maybe so, but it doesn’t mean your body isn’t being slowly damaged by these foods every day. Some people only realize how much damage they’ve done to their bodies when they have a serious health diagnosis or heart attack at age 40 or 50, or they start having serious digestive problems because their body has become unable to process certain foods (especially gluten or sugar).

If this sounds like something you wonder or worry about – stick with me!

Your body was designed to work with you, not against you.

Your body was designed to work with you, not against you.

Your muscles were created to help your body move and perform the tasks that it needs to do in order for you to keep living for a long time. Your brain was made for thinking, feeling and communicating with other people about things that matter. Your heart pumps blood through your entire system so that it can continue working at its best. And even your digestive system processes food from the time it enters your mouth until when it leaves as waste products through one end of your body or another (hopefully).

The trouble comes when we introduce food to our bodies that were not naturally meant to be processed well and will often sees as a threat. As we age, many people think that the only thing their body was created for is to make them feel bad about themselves. They then begin to focus on what’s not working well, what they don’t have and all of the ways in which they feel like they need to improve their health. Instead of seeing each part of their body as useful and strong, they see it as something that needs to be fixed or improved upon.

It’s the time to restock your home with food that supports your future self.

You’ve made some great choices and set yourself up for success. Now, it’s time to restock your home with food that supports your future self.

In order to feel great and look amazing, you need to eat the right kinds of foods. The good news is that eating well doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive—you just need the right ingredients on hand so that you can make healthy meals quickly and easily in any situation. Here are some easy ways to prep for success:

• Make sure your fridge is full of fresh produce, proteins (meat, chicken, or fish) and healthy fats (such as nuts, nut butters, or avocado and coconut oils).
• Keep healthy snacks around and eat them only when it’s harder to stick to your commitment to your health and you’re tempted to go to the corner store for some junk food. (Cravings will hit again and will eventually die off).

Buy some easy-to-prep meals from the grocery store (such as a paleo dinners or pre-made salads). They will save you time and money, and they’ll make it easier for you to eat healthy when you’re busy. Stock up on healthy snacks like nuts, fresh fruit and veggies.

Start Now

In this section, we will break down how to start taking action on your goals. Whether you are looking to join a gym or start a new exercise routine, I’ll talk to you about how to get fit and healthy no matter the circumstances you face.

Now that we have learned about the importance of being active at all times, let’s work towards making this a reality! The first step is writing down one thing you can stop doing today that will support your future self and one thing you can start doing today that will support your future self. What do these things look like? You may want to stop eating fast food or maybe start walking every day before work instead of driving. Perhaps it would be helpful for your health if there were no sodas in the house, so drink water instead! Whatever it is for you personally; write it down and take action now!

Write down one thing you can stop doing today that will support your future you.

If you’re like most people, you have a lot of habits that are not helping you achieve your goals. Maybe they are making you feel bad about yourself or tired—or maybe they’re doing both. The best thing to do is write down one thing that’s causing harm and stop doing it today. If you have more than one habit that’s hurting your future self, then write down all the things that make up these habits and resolve to stop doing one for 7 days. In time you can knock out as many of them as possible. For example:

• I’m always eating fast food because it’s convenient and cheap (stop driving past fast food restaurants).
• I’m always snacking at work because of they break room has donuts or a slue of vending machines (stop going to the break room).

Write down one thing you can start doing today that will support your future you.

As you complete this section, write down one thing you can start doing today that will support your future self. It should be something that is easy to do and will have a big impact on your health. Maybe it’s planning your lunches for the week or taking your own water to work. Maybe it’s finding an organization or class to join that supports healthy living in some way – maybe even volunteering!

Make sure it is something specific, not just “exercise more” or “eat healthier foods.” Instead, try coming up with specific exercises you want to do and/or specific foods you want to eat more of (or less of). This will help keep yourself accountable when the going gets tough and the days are long.

Be grateful for the awesome life you have right now as it is, even as you envision your future awesomeness and work toward attaining it.

As you embark on your journey to become fit, healthy and awesome, it’s important to keep in mind that you are already great. You are awesome just the way you are right now. Yes, even if your body doesn’t look like the bodies of those people in pictures who inspire you. Even if you don’t have a six pack (yet). Even if what comes next feels like a long road ahead filled with hard work and self-denial. Embrace all of these things as part of the process!

Gratitude is one way we can stay positive while working toward our goals and dreams. Be grateful for what you have now: your health, perhaps financial stability or family support—whatever it is that makes whatever life situation right now different than the one in which someone might be suffering from eating disorders or depression due to lack of self-worth or belief that they deserve better than they have right now…

Make sure you have accountability that you can trust, who or what won’t let you quit and will tell you when you’re not keeping your word to yourself.

To find your accountability partner, ask for recommendations from friends and family who have successfully completed similar programs. You might also want to consider joining a community of like-minded individuals on social media or in person, as this can be an excellent way to stay motivated and focused on your goals. Make sure that this person has the experience and knowledge necessary to guide you through the process of living a healthier lifestyle—and not merely someone who will tell you what they’ve heard works for other people but has no real experience doing it themselves.

6 things I want you to do to make your health happen.

• Focus on your future self: Remember that you’re not just what you look like today—you’re also how you will feel tomorrow, next week and next year. Your health is the foundation for everything else in your life, so don’t neglect it!
• Purge damaging habits and foods: If there’s something in your life that isn’t serving you well (even a relationship or job), consider letting it go so that room is made for something better (i.e., a new relationship or job). Be willing to do what’s necessary to make space for positive change in your life as well as improve the quality of what’s already there by eliminating things that don’t serve any real purpose but add negative value instead (e-mail notifications while watching TV, constant social media scrolling).
• Restock with supportive products: If there are unhealthy items in your pantry right now (more soda than water bottles?), take some time today or tomorrow to go shopping at the store or online and replace them with healthier choices.
• Start now! You can do anything. If only because if not now you’ll be in the same state (or worse) a year from now. Also, tomorrow never comes! This might seem like an obvious point but sometimes we all need reminding of our own power over our lives; we tend to forget this even though we know better.

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So there you have it—a way to begin to get fit and healthy and live full out. I hope that this article has inspired you to take action in your life, even if only in a small way. If nothing else, take the time to thank yourself for the awesome life you have right now as it is (even as you envision your future awesomeness), because whether or not anyone else acknowledges it, I know how much work goes into building a fulfilling life!