5 Principles You Need To Make Your Healthy Lifestyle Last

My principles for health and fitness have never been about fads and quick fixes – the outcomes for those are rarely sustainable. Rather, it’s important to look at instilling healthy habits that are sustainable for the long-term. How does one approach this? Read on for the key steps I believe are essential to making long-term changes.

1 PATIENCE
With the number of celebrities and influencers pushing products and plans that promise quick results at the moment, I think our perception of what is actually realistic and attainable has been slightly skewed! We're now seeing promises of 5lb fat loss in 5 days which scientifically is pretty much impossible to achieve and I understand that when you have a goal, you want to achieve it asap but quick results don't last!

In my experience the quicker the results the quicker the bounce back. If you don't learn new behaviours and adopt life long habits then as soon as you slip back into your old ways the results go too!

Being patient allows:
- time for the body adapt
- muscles to grow 
- improvements in your cardiovascular fitness and strength
- actual fat loss, not just the loss of water weight
- your body's natural set point to adjust
- time to build habits
- time for enjoyment amongst the hard work
- Maintainable results 

2 CONSISTENCY
Consistency is the key to seeing results and results keep you motivated. Without consistency, it's not a lifestyle it's a fad.

We always talk about what you do most of the time is what makes a difference and while you don't need to be perfect the whole time you can't expect to see results when you only put in the effort every now and again. The more consistent you are over time the easier the process becomes and I truly believe that's what makes it a lifestyle...when it becomes habitual.

3 HABITS
The key to making changes to your lifestyle without it feeling like a constant battle is to build habits! Habits allow you to practice healthy behaviours with minimal effort. I get asked a lot of the time where I find the motivation to train or eat healthy the majority of the time and honestly my response is normally “It’s just become part of my daily routine and I know it makes me feel good!”. With a family to look after and a business to run, I also try and simplify things as much as possible to take the pressure off of having to do it all perfectly.

If you want to change your lifestyle you need to make small changes each day and practice them over a long period of time. Some of my favourite healthy habits are: 
- Daily movement 
- A morning or evening walk
- 2-3 litres of water 
- Include a source of protein in every meal 
- Include fruit or veg in every meal
- Do 30 mins of mobility each week

4 DISCIPLINE
"Discipline is choosing between what you want now, and what you want the most!"

I am a firm believer that self-discipline is key when striving for self-love. Whilst I think striving for self-love is an incredibly positive goal (essential even) sometimes I wonder if we hide behind the message 'be kind to yourself' and it can it leave us feeling a little defeated or disappointed in ourselves. There is no better feeling than pride and often being disciplined with your actions, habits and practices results in a bigger sense of achievement and self-love. 

Be kind to yourself by doing what you feel is best for your body and if you need a break, of course, prioritise your rest and recovery but if deep down you know you are making excuses, you're actually giving up on your long-term goals for a moment of instant gratification. 

5 HARMONY 
You've all heard of the infamous 'balance' when it comes to training, nutrition, your social life, your work etc. but I think we should actually be striving for more harmony. Achieving a balance implies equal amounts of each, but we all have different priorities, preferences, goals etc. So, what feels like a ‘balanced’ lifestyle to you, will be very different for someone else.

Striving for harmony means all elements need to work together and neither one is taking away from the other. You don’t need to divide your time equally, you just need to make time for what is a priority to you without it completely taking over the others. 
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This may change throughout different times in your life. When you start a new job or become a parent, you might have less time for training and socialising but that doesn’t mean your life is no longer ‘balanced’ so to speak.

Don't be afraid to prioritise your goals if it genuinely makes you happy and remember that it’s ok to have different priorities at different times in your life.