For many people, choosing a healthy diet and exercise plan is not about weight loss alone. You may be striving for a healthier life, a fit life. Getting fit and staying fit are great ways to lengthen your life, improve your mood, and keep yourself healthy.

To get fit, and stay fit, follow the following guidelines:

1. Focus on Lifestyle Changes: Fitness is not a temporary solution to a short term problem. It is a series of lifestyle choices, leading up to an overall lifestyle change. As you begin your journey into weight loss, focus on the fact that you are developing a healthy body for a lifetime, not just a skinnier body right now. This will help you to see the big picture, and enable you to stay strong through diet difficulties.

2. Adjust Your Diet: Adjust your diet plan until you find one that is both healthy and livable. For example, if you hate salad, and design a diet plan focused on eating a big salad at lunch and dinner time, youre setting yourself up for failure. Take the time to research multiple diet plans, and find on that you can live with. Sure, there’s no such thing as the donuts-and-chocolate-cake diet, but find the healthiest diet that also works with you. This will make sticking to it, as well as losing weight, easier to do.

3. Include Activity: Again, take the time to include a plan that fits into your life. Choose a gym or fitness club that is open when you have the time to exercise. Pick activities that you enjoy. Plan your exercise time to fit into a part of your day when you’re not exhausted. Incorporate active outings into your family schedule. Strive for a more active life as a whole, and don’t beat yourself up over one or two missed workouts. Remember, you’re making changes for a lifetime.

4. Get Plenty of Rest: One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to lose weight or become fit; is they burn the candle at both ends. Lack of adequate rest lowers not only your body’s natural defenses, but weakens your mental and emotional stability as well. Think of it this way a well oiled machine can operate at maximum capability.

You can lose weight on an unhealthy diet, but true fitness requires devoting time to your health. By making yourself a priority, and focusing on long term lifestyle changes, you’re setting out on your fitness journey. Take the time to find diet plans and exercise routines that you can fit into your schedule, as well as enjoy. This will make incorporating fitness into your daily routine something to look forward to, instead of something to dread.

This article is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and should not be used or interpreted as such. You should always consult a medical professional before making drastic changes to your diet or life style.