20 Secrets of Very Fit People!

Looking to get into great shape?

Here are 20 secrets that very fit people follow to get–and stay–in shape. Read these tips, then print them out and post them somewhere you see them every day so they’re a daily reminder!

1. Keep a water bottle with you at all times and drink from it often. Water should always be your drink of choice. To kick things up every once in a while, try adding lemon, lime, cucumber, or a few berries to liven up the flavor without adding significant calories.

2. Look at exercise as a pleasure and a privilege, not a burden or chore. Think positively about the changes regular exercise will produce. Rather than obsessing about your next meal, get excited about your next workout!

3. Eat well-balanced meals and remember that excess calories will turn into excess weight. No matter what the latest fad diet says, extra calories equal extra weight!

4. Limit caffeine and exposure to secondhand smoke.

5. Focus on short-term fitness goals with an emphasis on completing daily exercise.

6. Keep a daily log of what you’re actually eating. This includes every time you grab a handful of chips here or eat the crust of your kid’s sandwich there, and all of your snacking.

7. Enjoy an occasional (once a week) “unhealthy” treat, but never an unhealthy week or unhealthy vacation.

8. Enjoy contributing to the health of others by having a partner or friends to exercise with, as well as recruiting others who want to feel better and have more energy. Have a neighbor who’s sitting on the porch every morning when you walk by? Ask him or her to join you on your walk!

9. Avoid monotony by taking up new forms of exercising, or using things that keep you motivated and inspired, like new shoes or great music.

10. Subscribe to fitness magazines to keep focused on health as an overall way of life. Don’t want the extra paper cluttering up your house? Make sure to visit a healthy lifestyle blog every day (like this one!) or find some fitness folks to inspire you on Facebook or Instagram!

11. Invest in the right tools including good shoes, and comfortable, quality workout clothes.

12. Make it your goal to do some form of exercise 6 days a week. If your workout program is just 5 days a week, get a walk in on the other days.

13. Don’t compare your body to those of others. Instead, love yourself as you are and just work to reach your personal best.

14. If your diet is unbalanced, make an effort to fix that, but also consider taking a multivitamin.

15. Work to take your exercise to new levels of intensity.

16. Create an exercise schedule the day before instead of leaving it to chance or waiting to “find” the time. If the last three Presidents of the United States can make time to work out every day, you can make time too!

17. Move beyond the boundaries of weight loss and into total fitness. Measure success by the way your clothes fit, your energy level, or your reduction in pain or stiffness, not the number on a scale.

18. Stick with eating plans you can maintain indefinitely. Remember that no matter how hard you’re working out, if you’re consuming too many calories, you’ll never see the muscles that lie beneath layers of fatty tissue.

19. Get adequate amounts of sleep so your muscles can recover. An added bonus of exercise: most people who exercise regularly fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly!

20. Limit alcohol intake to special occasions.