What do you have to do to get fit and healthy?

As a trainer a lot of people ask me what they need to do to loose weight, get fit and "tone up". I find that a lot of people do go to a lot of effort to loose weight and tone up but wonder why they don't achieve the results they eagerly want. I narrow it down to three words:

*nutrition
*motivation
*exercise

70% of what goes into our mouth is responsible for how our body looks, feels etc. If you eat badly your body will repay you by having a few extra kilos on your frame, you will feel lethargic, sleep badly and overall not be a happy person. If you give your body the nutrients it requires to function properly you will feel fantastic, sleep well and be able to enjoy your life with a bigger smile on your face. You are SO what you eat.

Everyday you need to eat a wide variety of foods, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts/legumes, dairy products, cereals/grains and fats.

Try adding fruits to your cereal or mushrooms.tomato to your morning omelette.scrambled eggs... eat protein at every meal to keep your insulin levels regular (not spiking.... having just carbohydrates increases your insulin levels into the body).

Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables - lots of colours means you ar receiving the nutrients and antioxidants your body requires to keep healthy.

Lean meats are excellent sources of protein, iron and I find kangaroo is the most low fat, high protein, high iron meat... very tasty, gorgeous with a sweet potato mash and steamed greens. Tuna, salmon also great sources of healthy fats.

Dairy is a much needed sources of calcium if you don't consume many leafy green vegetables, fish with bones, tofu or fortified products. Skim milk has the calcium and protein you require with half the fat. Mix yoghurt with fruit, have oats with fruit and skim milk or soy.

Healthy fats are flaxseed oils, avocado, olive oil, nuts... try to have healthy fats every day they are rich source of energy and is important for carrying fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and certain antioxidants. Fats also supply essential fatty acids for healthy skin and have a role in regulating body functions.

If you get your nutrition right and enjoy your favourite foods once or twice a week and eat well, you will notice the difference. Don't sabotage your good work for food that you don't really need or appreciate. Save those tempting foods for special occasions.

Motivation - surround yourself with people and environments that make you feel happy and inspired, read books or watch movies on people who inspire you to achieve the goals you want. When you are happy you will release the good hormones and less cortisol. Adrenalin is released after exercise and helps balance your seretonin levels (the relaxed hormone) the more you stress you more you release the stress hormone, cortisol.
Put pictures on your fridge of a time when you were happy, imagine yourself in a nice outfit or enjoying a holiday feeling healthy and having lots of energy. Don''t let negative people sabotage you - you are in control of what you do and how you achieve your goals, your friends and family should support you.

Exercise - to keep healthy and feeling fit, exercise at least 3 times a week for 30mins. That is all it takes. Do what you love, whether it is classes, swimming, weights and try and challenge yourself, keep a journal of your training and eating, see how it affects your moods. Make exercise an important appointment in your diary, and stick to it like you would any other appointment. To change your body shape you need to CHALLENGE your body -push yourself, do interval training, increase those weights and increase the cardio levels by getting your heart rate in the fat burning zone.

Exercise reduces your blood pressure, improves fitness, flexibility, maintains bone strength, improves heart function, improve muscle strength, releases stress on lower back, improves joint function, decreases weight, improve mental outlook, reduces stress....... and more. 3 x a week - all you need.