52 Tips to Get in the Best Shape of Your Life!

I know you’re probably really busy and you have a lot going on in your life, and you’re probably saying, “I just don't have the time right now to worry about changing my diet, exercise and lifestyle habits.” 

 

If you're feeling this way, you’re not alone!  We are all super-busy and there never seems to be the “right time” to focus on your health and fitness needs.

 

To make it easy for you, I’ve compiled 52 tips to help you start making healthy changes today!  Make the commitment to apply one change per week, and in a year from now, you’ll be a whole new person; you’ll be looking and feeling your best!   

(With that said, it won't necessarily take a year for you to start feeling better!)

Good health really is a journey, not a destination; taking baby steps every day will get you closer and closer building your best body ever!  You can do it!

 

Here are my 52 Tips to Get in the Best Shape of Your Life:

 

1. Add 2-5 energizing exercises to your morning “get up and go” routine.  Check out my post “Top 5 Energy-Boosting Exercises” to get some ideas.

 

2. Drink 2-3 8-ounce glasses of water first thing in the morning, before you eat breakfast.

 

3. Eat a balanced breakfast consisting of healthy proteins, fats and carbs in the right amounts and ratios for your Metabolic Type®.

 

4. Don’t waste your time doing excessive amounts of cardio; instead, add interval training and circuit training to your exercise regimen to increase your heart and lung capacity while building lean muscles and boosting your metabolism. 

 

5. Focus on making daily PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION.

 

6. Make dinner your smallest meal of the day, and create a meal that is a little higher in proteins and healthy fats to prevent nighttime hypoglycemia (blood sugar crashes during sleep.)

 

7. Replace white sugar with natural sweeteners like raw honey, real maple syrup or stevia.

 

8. Eat 5-6 meals/snacks throughout the day that are balanced for your Metabolic Type®.  Click here for some meal ideas: “Your Flat Belly Meal Plan.”

 

9. Don’t wait until you’re starving to eat.

 

10. Make an appointment with yourself to exercise; if it’s in your schedule you're more apt to stick with it!

 

11. Don’t push yourself too hard when you exercise; many health magazines and fitness shows tell you to work through your pain when you’re hurting—this is a big mistake!  You’ve heard the saying “No Pain, No Gain.”  Well the truth is Pain Equals No Gain!  Take it easy and slowly build up to more challenging exercises.

 

12. Replace processed foods with whole foods; instead of eating foods out of boxes, cans and wrappers, eat whole foods for 90% of your meals.

 

13. Prepare your meals ahead of time; cook proteins like eggs and chicken and cut up vegetables for easy meal assembly.

 

14. Add resistance training to your work out routine three days per week to develop some muscle tone.

 

15. Don’t use “working out” as a way to relieve stress; working out is actually form of stress to your body, and if you’re already stressed out, you're just adding more stress to your body thereby setting the stage for injury and sickness.

 

16. Add a pinch of Celtic Sea salt to your water to restore electrolytes.

 

17. Eat half of your meals raw.

 

18. Take care of your liver by eating lots of greens and only eating ingredients that you can pronounce.

 

19. Drink about 50% of your body weight in ounces of water EVERY DAY; your liver and your kidneys will thank you!

 

20. Buy local, organic meats and produce as much as possible.

 

21. Limit your intake of coffee, alcohol, juice, sports drinks and other beverages; your body is designed to drink water!

 

22. Avoid all conventional meats and dairy as much as possible and replace them with local, whole-fat, organic sources.

 

23. Add core training to your exercise regimen; click here to learn how to test your core: “How to Flatten Your Tummy After Pregnancy.” 

 

24. Mix up your exercise routine every four to six weeks.

 

25. Get some fresh air every day.

 

26. Avoid group fitness classes; you are likely to get hurt because they are not customized for your fitness needs.

 

27. Track your workouts so you can track your progress.

 

28. Take full responsibility for your health and your daily actions; don’t make excuses and blame others.

 

29. Stretch before and after every workout; only stretch tight muscles.

 

30. Don't sabotage your workout efforts by “treating yourself” to sweets after; eat a healthy, balanced snack right for your metabolic needs.

 

31. Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink water; this is your body’s last cry for hydration!

 

32. If you experience hunger pangs, drink water before you eat something; your body could be telling you it's thirsty!

 

33. Surround yourself with happy, healthy people; we tend to become our surroundings.

 

34. Get adequate amounts of rest; get to bed my 10pm and take time to recover between exercise routines.

 

35. Never workout on an empty stomach; eat something 1 ½ -2 hours beforehand.

 

36. Track your food intake: What you eat, how much you eat and how you feel after your meals; keeping a food diary creates awareness of your relationship with foods.

 

37. If you need motivation to exercise, find a “workout partner” for added accountability.

 

38. Plan to eat at home for 90% of your meals; this way you can control the quantity and quality of your meals.

 

39. Avoid “sugar-free” foods; they contain harmful sugar substitutes.

 

40. Limit your intake of condiments like mayo, ketchup, teriyaki sauce and salad dressing etc.; they are loaded with sugar and chemicals. If you want to add some flavors to your meals, use organic spices or make your own dressings from scratch.

 

41. Eat healthy fats like real butter, olive oil and coconut oil; avoid butter substitutes and vegetable oils.

 

42. Avoid “low-fat” foods; they are loaded with harmful chemicals that are very hard on your liver and other organs of detoxification.

 

43. Take time to do one thing you enjoy EVERY day.

 

44. Commit to continually making healthy diet, exercise and lifestyle changes for the rest of your life.

 

45. Ditch the all or nothing mind-set when it comes to food; instead of eliminating all “bad” foods from your diet, start by replacing them with healthier substitutes.

 

46. Drink pure water; bottled waters and many tap waters are loaded with toxic chemicals.

 

47. Focus on building a strong, healthy body; DO NOT focus on the number you see on your scale.

 

48. Create a healthy-eating environment and stock your cupboards and refrigerator with wholesome foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; if you keep healthy foods on hand, you won't be “tempted” to eat foods that only sabotage your efforts for healthy change.

 

49. Continually set new, realistic fitness goals for yourself; start by setting a goal to walk for a certain amount of time, or perform a specific number of push-ups or simply take five minutes to stretch every day.  As you meet your goal, set a new one—keep it simple, but keep it fresh!

 

50. Be persistent, positive and patient!

 

51. Take it one day at a time and make small, healthy changes over time; if you try to do too much at once, you will set yourself up to fail.

 

52. Fill your mind with healthy thoughts about yourself; a healthy body starts with healthy thinking!

 

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To looking and feeling your best,

 

Melissa Koerner