As with everything in the Fitness, I learned these strategies by living them. Some deal with the physical components of fitness nutrition and exercise while others focus on the mental aspect, which I believe is responsible for more than 50 percent of success in the fitness game, not to mention other aspects of your life. Fitness begins in the mind. If you think it, you can do it. Think positively, and you can accomplish anything.

1 – TAKE BABY STEPS

The words baby steps refer to the mind-set you should have when following a fitness lifestyle, especially when you’re first starting out. Too many people think the only way they’ll be successful and get the body they want is if they do everything all at once exercise every day or go from fast-food burgers and fries to chicken breast and vegetables overnight. Just thinking about these drastic changes is overwhelming, and it causes most people to throw up their hands and quit their fitness programs before they even get started.

2- EAT UNTIL YOU’RE NO LONGER HUNGRY, NOT FULL

There is a very fine distinction between feeling not hungry and feeling full, and it took me a while to learn to notice it. To avoid overeating you want to leave the table when you no longer feel hungry, when the food is beginning to not taste as good as it did originally and you’re just continuing to eat it because it’s there.

You don’t want to wait until you feel full. There’s a biological reason for this. It takes the brain about 15 to 20 minutes before it realizes that the stomach is full, and then it sends the message to stop eating. That 15- to 20-minute lag time is what keeps a lot of extra pounds on our trouble prone areas the bell and lower back in men and the waist, hips, and thighs in women.

If you stop eating when you’re no longer hungry, in about 15 to 20 minutes you will feel full. I know I do. If I wait until I actually feel full before leaving the table, in about 15 to 20 minutes it’s couch time for me. I feel really bloated and tired and just want to lie down for a long nap. This is a big sign that you’ve overeaten and that you’ve overwhelmed your body’s

3 – DRINK WATER

Water is a magical drink. It helps transport vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients throughout our bodies, plus it flu shes out toxins and other waste products. Our muscles consist of 70 percent water, so drinking lots of it helps keep them looking full and pumped.

I like to drink lots of water, about a gallon a day, not only for its health benefits but also because it helps keep me lean. I drink it with and in between meals to curb my appetite and decrease cravings. I also learned another trick to stop overeating: if I’m getting ready for a photo shoot or personal appearance, I’ll have a full 8- to 10-ounce glass of water before each meal starting a few days prior to the event.

I noticed it fills up my stomach and causes me to eat much less than I normally would if I didn’t down the water first. Water’s my best friend when it comes to sticking to a lower-calorie nutrition plan.

4 – VARY EXERCISE CHOICES

To keep your body guessing and continue to stimulate growth, vary your exercise choices. As with anything done over time, our bodies and minds get used to certain workouts, causing us to reach a plateau where we stop seeing the same benefits from our exercise investments. That’s usually because both our bodies and minds have become bored with the routine. They’ve been through it day in and day out, they know what to expect, and they’ve adjusted.

To avoid getting stuck in an exercise rut, keep things fresh both mentally and physically by mixing and matching different workouts and Changing workouts on a weekly or monthly basis really helps me maximize results. 

5 – THINK—AND THINK POSITIVELY

The one common thread that ties the mental, physical, and nutritional aspects together when we’re trying to improve our fitness is thought conscious thought, not acting on impulse or out of habit. Too many people, myself included, fall into the trap of just doing the same things day in and day out I call it “sleepwalking” through life and then complaining or finding excuses about why their bodies or lives aren’t better.

‘‘  The only way to lose is if you quit. Success doesn’t have a time limit. ‘’