7 Habits to Be Fit for Life

Holidays, New Year's resolutions, bikini season, weddings and other special occasions leave us bouncing back and forth, striving to be healthy for a temporary amount of time. We reach a goal or the occasion passes, and we find ourselves right back where we started. Back and forth we go, hence the term yo-yo diet. (Don't worry, this isn't another dieting post. I promise.)

Why temporary? What if, bear with me now, we avoided the rebound altogether? That means preventing the burnout that leads to it, too. Can you see the lightbulb above my head yet?! I present to you, drum roll please, seven hacks for being fit for life!

These seven habits involve a few questions, a little digging and a slow shift in thinking, which in turn will turn healthy living into a lifestyle you can keep. So, let's do this!

1. What's your why?

Before making any lifestyle change, we need at least one reason why. It should be personal, important to us and lasting. If the goal is being fit for life, our motivator needs to last that long, too. An upcoming wedding, a New Year's resolution, a birthday or a vacation are all great extra motivators, but they can't be our root reason. So: what is your why? It's okay to be a bit selfish here, since it directly affects you. Why do you want to be healthy?

2. Discover and devote

Now that we have our why, let's take the next step. Brainstorm activities you actually enjoy. What keeps you active and having fun? Dance classes, cycling, hiking, bouldering, paddle boarding, jogging. The options are endless, and it never hurts to try something new. Once you've found a couple you like, schedule them into your week. It's an important meeting with yourself that you can't afford to miss.

Staying active is a big part of keeping results, too. In a review of long-term weight-loss studies, people who exercised more kept off more weight.¹ As a target, the World Health Organization recommends 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, plus muscle-strengthening on at least 2 days.²

3. Find a friend

Trying something brand new is a great opportunity to meet new people or bring someone along. Who in your circle can you inspire to make this change with you? Or who might you meet at a new activity? With a couple of accountability partners, making the change gets a lot easier. And now you have another social event on your calendar that's also good for you. High five! We're not done yet, though.

4. Subtract sensitivities

Let's talk diet for a minute. We all know what we eat affects our health just as much as how active we are. Some foods may not agree with you, leaving you low on energy or with an upset stomach. Are there foods you know you're sensitive to?

If you're not sure, talk to your doctor about trying a short, guided break from one food at a time, like dairy or alcohol, to see if you feel better. One important note on gluten: testing for celiac disease requires you to still be eating gluten, so get tested before you cut it out. Once you know what doesn't work for you, you can save it for special occasions or skip it altogether.

5. Access adventure

Weekends and vacations are great for recharging, but they can also push our health to the back burner. Instead, plan active adventures and explore new activities you might enjoy. This leads to more discovering and devoting! Bring family and friends who'll be inspired, too. Believe it or not, you can recharge while being active. Exercise can lift your mood and ease stress. Equal parts active and restful is key.

6. Rethink rewards

This could be its own blog post, but on the surface: we need to rethink rewards. Whether it's a promotion, a goal reached or another reason to celebrate, the reward can be something other than food or dessert. Crazy, right?! Especially since so many of us grew up with dessert as the reward. What else could you treat yourself to that fits a healthy lifestyle? An adventure vacation (cue ocean waves), a new pair of pants to fit your rockin' body, or a membership for your newest favorite activity. Wheels spinning yet?! Let's get those creative juices flowing!

7. Rest and recover

Rest serves an amazing and necessary purpose. With life speeding by at a thousand miles per hour, we need it to recharge and avoid burnout. Allow yourself rest when you need it. Put in the work toward a healthy lifestyle, and reward yourself with a rest day.