1. Strive for at least 150 minutes of exercise per week
Break it down to 40 minutes 4 days a week, 30 minutes 5 days a week, or however you’d like! Choose what works best for your lifestyle. Check out these beginners’ guides to get you started.
2. Cut your coffee calories
Cut calories in your morning cup of coffee by skipping the cream and sugar. Instead, try drinking it black or reducing your amount of each. Here are some more healthy ways to flavor your morning cup of joe.
3. Keep a fitness journal
Tracking keeps you accountable, and studies show that those who keep journals are more successful at weight loss than those who don’t.
4. Pay attention to your thoughts
Thoughts are powerful; bring awareness to yours. Do you encourage yourself with body positivity or hold yourself back with negativity? Changing your mindset could be all it takes to get your health on track. Dig deeper into this fitness tip by checking out:
Positive Affirmations To Improve Your Mindset
Inspiration For Weight Loss – 12 Inspiring Tips to Get You Motivated
Embracing A Positive Mindset During Menopause
5. Eat the rainbow
colorful healthy food on table
Eat foods that are closest to their natural state as possible. Aim for whole, fresh foods in a rainbow of colors. Looking for some restorative meal ideas to get you started? Check out these:
How to Eat More Vegetables: Take the Veggie Challenge
The Best Healthy Foods To Buy At Costco
Stuffed Zucchini Boat Recipe (+ 2 Variations)
Kabobs On The Grill (3 Easy Recipes)
6. Avoid processed foods
Watch out because processed foods have multiple negative side effects. Generally speaking, the fewer the ingredients, the better the food. Taking a quick look at food labels can tell you a lot, but ideally, most of the food you buy doesn’t need a label. If you are buying packaged foods, check out this list of 15 Best Packaged Foods for Clean Eating.
7. Make sure you drink water
Most adults need about two quarts of fluid per day to replace normal water loss or approximately eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. Try this hydration calculator and our favorite hack to drink more water.
8. Increase Your Protein
Add protein powder to smoothies for an added boost. Choose unflavored powders for versatility.
9. Find your “why”
Identify your deeper reason for getting healthy other than the number on the scale. Do you want to be able to run with your children or grandchildren?
How about being able to enjoy food without feeling guilty all the time? Staying in touch with a deeper reason for health can motivate you to keep going when things get tough.
10. Do workouts you enjoy
Find a form (or two!) of movement you truly enjoy. It’s easier to stick to things we look forward to rather than dread. Here are some fun workouts that maybe you haven’t thought of before:
Power Walking
Paddleboarding Beginner’s Guide (SUP)
Beginners Guide To Trampoline Exercise
30-Minute Pool Workout
Pilates Exercises for Beginners
The 10 Yoga Poses You Should Do Everyday
11. Always Incorporate Strength Training
woman lifting weight above her head
Add some muscle-building activities to your workouts. Free weights, resistance band exercises, muscle sculpt classes or using your body weight with push-ups, planks and squats all work. Get started with my free beginner’s program, or browse our library of strength workouts to try!
12. Set perfectionism aside
Keep in mind that striving for perfection usually leads to disaster. Set small goals and stair-step your way to success by developing daily healthy habits. Celebrate those wins, regardless of perfection.
13. Don’t DIET
One of the best fitness tips may seem counterintuitive, but stop dieting. Reverse the letters in the word and EDIT what you eat. Make it a lifestyle change toward healthier foods, not a deprivation plan.
14. Take recovery days
Give yourself one to two days a week for active recovery. Rest days should be simple. Take a walk. Do a gentle yoga class. Just engage in something less intense than what you do for exercise the other days of the week.
15. Keep healthy snacks on hand
Select healthier choices to have on standby in your fridge when hunger pangs or emotional eating strikes, such as a bowl of fresh strawberries or blueberries. Here are 55 of my favorite healthy snacks to try whenever cravings strike.
16. Follow the 80/20 rule
Most fitness wisdom says to eat healthy 80 percent of the time. Indulge occasionally, but make sure most of your choices are healthy.
17. Shop the perimeter of your grocery store
Food tends to be the healthiest and less processed on the outside edges of most grocery stores. Here you’ll find fresh fruit and veggies, raw meat, and fresh seafood.
18. Don’t just focus on the scale
Find different ways to measure success other than stepping on the scale. Instead, pay attention to how you feel after you’ve been working out consistently. Think about the long-term health benefits of exercise.
19. Get an accountability partner
group of people in a high five
Working out in groups can offer more benefits than working out alone – science supports it! Find your go-to person for exercise and weight loss support. Enlist that friend that says, “let’s work out; we’ll feel better if we do.” Exercise together, share tips, and swap encouragement.
20. Try working out in the morning
Get that heart rate up first thing in the morning. While the time of day makes no difference regarding results, you may be more likely to make excuses as time goes on. Plus, a morning workout might be perfect for some “you” time. Join our morning workout challenge to get the support you need to implement this fitness tip!
21. Display your results
Whether it’s the pounds you have lost, how many times you worked out this week, or a picture of you showing off results, display it to motivate you to keep it up!
22. Track your workout schedule
Circle the days on a calendar when you’ve worked out, or mark it on your phone. That way, you can feel proud of your successes and be able to repeat the schedule that worked for you in the past.
23. Build muscle
Want to speed up your metabolism? Building muscle is the key since muscle burns more fat at rest. Add muscle-building moves in addition to your high-intensity workouts and see long-term benefits.
24. Two pounds at a time
Don’t overwhelm yourself with your ideal goal weight. When you are down two pounds, let yourself feel proud and then think about the next two.
25. Eat smaller portions
Portion control is crucial – especially when you are eating indulgent food. These portion control tips can help you get started.
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