It seems as though being healthy and fit is something we hear about everywhere.
There is no arguing the fact that health and fitness are subjects that are on many people's minds.
Of course, this does not mean that we are all following the healthy guidelines that have been set out for us.
While many of us would just love to ignore the whole "eat well, stay away from junk food and make sure you move your body regularly" warnings, the truth is that, in order to get healthy, toned and happy, we do have to incorporate some type of fitness training into our daily lives - all the while keeping a sharp eye on what we eat.
Dieting alone or exercising, without watching what you eat, just won't work - mainly because it is incredibly difficult to sustain in the long run.
In fact, if you are considering changing your eating habits and committing to a fitness training program, one of the most important questions to ask yourself is "am I being realistic about my goals and how I plan on reaching them?" For many of us, starting a new project means that we can afford to have big, lofty goals, however, we also soon discover that adhering to the fitness training and the food plan we first set up may not be all that easy.
This, of course, accounts for the high number of people who end up feeling discouraged and who simply choose to abandon their fitness training programs.
The secret, to actually enjoying your long term commitment to training and eating well is twofold: Firstly, BE REALISTIC about what you and cannot do.
Factor in your current life demands, which include work, family, friends and personal hobbies.
If you have structured a fitness plan that keeps you away from all of your children's activities, you will end up resenting the situation, which, in turn, will make you drop out of the entire program.
Take a hard, honest look at your life and build a fitness plan schedule around it.
A word of caution - you will want to make sure that you actually give your workouts the time you will need to effectively and safely go through the routines - rushing through them will simply be a waste of your time and may severely injure you.
You might consider sitting down with a personal trainer, as they are in a unique position to create a fitness training plan that will be tailored made for your own needs, all the while factoring in your time constraints, as well as your personal preferences.
Secondly, look at your new eating habits and work out commitments as a lifestyle change.
You are eating well and working out in order to get healthier and happier and this is for the long term - it is not something with a beginning and an end date - it is for the rest of your life.
Stay away from the word DIET which often implies a set time and deadline.