“Lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks!”
“The 21 Day Fat Furnace Program!”
“The 30 Day Plan to Grow Like a Monster!”
These ridiculous headlines hock programs designed to get your money and set you on a path of failure. Quick fix programs are not sustainable. Quick weight loss is followed by quick weight gain. Over exercising is followed by a period of inactivity. Every action has an opposite and equal reaction.
If the action you are taking is extreme it will be followed by a reaction that is also extreme. Going on a 1,000 calorie a day diet is not sustainable. Your body and your will power will eventually break down. Most likely you will start overconsuming and gain back all the weight you lost through the starvation.
Being sedentary and jumping into a six day a week workout program is going to make you incredibly sore and could possibly even injure you. It will most certainly be followed by several weeks of inactivity while you heal.
Sustainable fitness is about building real everyday habits that lead to a manageable fitness lifestyle. The goal is a consistent fitness lifestyle you can maintain without unbearable sacrifices. Reaching a level of sustainable fitness takes time and patience. It is an everyday activity. You build up your healthy habits and combine them to create your lifestyle.
One thing is for sure. It happens daily. It is your daily habits where sustainable fitness is to be found. We know the areas where fitness lives and breathes. The big 5 are exercise, nutrition, sleep, hydration and stress. Five areas of your life you can change to become sustainably fit.
Create a consistent, well rounded exercise program and clean, consistent nutritional plan and you are on your way. Stay hydrated by drinking the recommended amount of water and get your 8 hours of sleep nightly. Manage your stress at work and at home and find valuable sources of relaxation. Working the big 5 consistently each day is the key to success.
Break down each of the five areas and build your healthy habits. Start with a 3-day a week exercise program and work it until you become consistent. If you have gone several months consistently exercising 3 days per week, add a 4th day and determine if that works for you. Eventually you find your optimum workout schedule. Work to maintain your consistent level of exercise. Do the same thing with your nutrition. Find the right foods and proportions that work for you.
The strategy is to make sustainable choices so you can get off the fitness roller coaster and have the fitness lifestyle you really want.
