If you want to get fit, you must consistently move and eat right. There are no shortcuts, quick fixes, or magic potions.

Until you commit yourself to creating sustainable fitness habits, you will go through the dreaded yo-yo cycle.

So, starting today, I want you to pick one of these ten rules and start working on it. Your goal will be to add one new action every month until you have transformed your habits (and your body).

Don’t worry, these rules are not meant to be followed 100% of the time. This is not about saying goodbye to your favorite foods; it’s about saying hello to your best body while occasionally eating however you like!

You should never go 24 hours without being active. Working out is great, but even going for a walk, hike, or swim is great too. You must do something that gets you moving every day.

The best way to do this is to find an activity that you really enjoy doing! If you love biking, great! Get out and bike a few times per week. Golf, tennis, running, and other sports are all great as well.

Never have a meal that does not have some sort of protein. This could be a protein shake if needed, but try to stick to whole foods as much as possible.

Having protein is critical for three reasons: it helps with recovery, it helps burn fat, and it helps keep you full!

Fish oil is one of the most widely researched supplements and has been shown to have a positive impact on brain health, heart health, and fat loss.

A natural multivitamin will ensure you are not deficient in any nutrients. Most people have at least one nutrient they are deficient in (and many people have more than one).

Not all carbs are created equal. Here is the order in which you should include carbs in your diet:

• Green Vegetables
• Non-Green Vegetables
• Root Vegetables
• Fruit
• Beans
• Grains
• Processed Carbs

Please note that 90% of your carbs should come from vegetables and fruit. The rest should only be used on occasion.

You cannot expect your body to make any changes if it has no idea when its next meal is going to be. Your body likes consistency and responds best when it gets the same amount of food at the same times, every day.

So, think about what meal schedule would work best for you. It could be 2, 3, 4, 5, or even 6 meals per day. Just make sure to spread them out evenly throughout the day.

Be mindful of how you feel during your meals. We are so accustomed to thinking we have to finish what is on our plate, yet long before your last bite, your body may be sending signals to STOP!

The best way to know when you should stop eating is when you no longer have feelings of hunger. This is usually long before most of us stop. The key is to take each bite slowly, savor it, and then assess if more is needed.

Your body is an amazing machine. It can heal itself, adapt to new environments, and can be trained to accomplish incredible feats (just watch Cirque Du Soleil).

None of this is possible, however, if your body cannot recover. And this is what sleep is all about. And it’s not just for physical recovery, it’s for mental recovery as well!

If you are not getting at least 7 hours of sleep per night, your chance of being overweight, diabetic, depressed, in pain, etc. increases dramatically. Do not underestimate the power of sleep. It can change your life.

Doing activities that are specifically designed to make you stronger is key to long-term fitness. But don’t think that strength is just about picking up big weights. You should focus on the kind of strength that improves your life.

Training things like balance, muscle stamina, stability of your joints, and core strength are all critical to helping you stay active for life.

As you start to make changes, there will inevitably be challenges. But if you do this one simple step, you will dramatically increase your chances of success.

Any time you try to make a change, spend just 5 minutes each day reflecting on how it went. Review where things worked and where they didn’t. Then, come up with a game plan on how to enhance your efforts the next day.

If you do this, then you will rapidly integrate your new habit into your life in a way that will actually stick.

The 10 rules of getting (and staying) fit have worked time and again to help people take control of their health and fitness.

The goal, however, is to just start with one at a time. So, look again at the list and decide which one will be easiest for you to start on:

1. Move daily
2. Eat protein at every meal
3. Take fish oil and a natural multivitamin
4. Be carb conscious
5. Eat at consistent times
6. Limit liquid calories
7. Stop when you’re 80% full
8. Sleep 7+ hours
9. Start strength training
10. Reflect, review, redo

And if this seems like a lot to take on, we are here to help and support. We believe that fitness is the foundation to enjoying the life you have built.

So, if you are out of shape, tired, or frustrated with your level of fitness, commit to yourself and your goals today and give us a call at (408) 370-1739.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Mint Condition Fitness is the leading fitness coaching studio for men and women over 45 to lose weight, build strength, and stay active for life.