Get Back on Track: Tips for Getting Back to a Healthy Lifestyle
As we head into February, many of us are still working toward the goals that we created for the new year. We get a lot of inquiries for tips and tricks on how we are keeping healthy, but honestly, we’re not always on top of our game! We hit fitness ruts and overindulge in cookies – even long after the holidays. We experience yo-yoing weight, stressful days where the last thing we want is to hit the gym, and those carb-loaded snacks over tv. Life happens to everyone, no matter how healthy we seem. We hit Jimmy up for a few ideas and tips on how to get back on track and on top of those healthy goals this year.
It’s all about understanding the 80/20 divide.
We’ve all heard it, but to Jimmy, it rings true: abs are made in the kitchen. “You won’t see the results you want from working out if you’re not fueling your body right,” he says. While exercise is certainly vital in a balanced, healthy body, 80 percent of your focus should be on what you eat and the other 20 in the gym.
Everybody has different dietary needs and should find what works for them. For Jimmy, he feels his complete best when he eats in a clean paleo/keto style and cutting sugar. “When I’m eating clean, I feel like I’m firing on all cylinders,” he says. “I have a clear mind and I’m energized, all just by fueling my body with what it actually wants and needs.”
Ease into it.
If there’s anything he recommends to someone trying to reinstate healthy habits to get back on track, it’s to take it slow, both in the kitchen and in the gym. “Don’t just plan on going from sitting around to hitting spin class seven days a week – you probably won’t keep on it.”
Start by incorporating a few healthy habits at a time, whether it’s coming to class two or three times a week or even just swapping your morning pastry out for something a little more nutritionally beneficial.
Be realistic.
“You need to have realistic expectations about what your body and lifestyle can and cannot do,” he says. That means listening to your body and understanding that change doesn’t happen overnight. You might have a goal that you want to hit the saddle 5 days a week, but that doesn’t mean it has to happen NOW. Don’t expect that you’ll step on the scale a month from now weighing 20 pounds less. “If you keep working at it consistently, change will eventually come.”
Keep the balance.
Though you should always listen to your body, sometimes that means listening to it over a slice (or two) of pizza. “It’s not realistic to eat well all of the time,” Jimmy says. Sometimes you just need that slice of pizza or that extra glass of wine, and that’s perfectly fine. Enjoy it, and enjoy your life, otherwise, these healthy changes might not be sustainable for the long haul.
Now we want to hear from YOU! What helps you get back on track and stay on top of those goals?
