We’ve all heard the phrase, “If it was going to be easy then everyone would be doing it!” The journey toward achieving your health and fitness goals epitomizes this sentiment exactly. Putting in the work day in and day out is never going to be easy and at the same time you are not rewarded for working hard all of the time. But you will be rewarded for consistently doing the things that keep you moving toward your goals.

First of all, it is called a WORKout for a reason…you have to put in work to reap the benefits. For many, doing some sort of cardiovascular activity is the easiest way to get started. I am not saying that cardio is bad for you as it has its place but it is just not as effective as many people want it to be toward losing fat. Cardio based activities should be done for their long term benefits toward your overall longevity.

The movers of the needle will always be strength training and good nutrition. I would much rather train 2-3 times per week for 30 minutes and eat well 70% of the time than to train 1 time per week for 90 minutes as hard as I can while eating well only 50% of the time. The latter of the two examples does not allow you to establish any positive habits that can be maintained for a lifetime. Yes, it seems easy to train once a week really hard and not have to be as vigilant with your nutrition but your success rate will be greatly diminished with this strategy.

When it comes to nutrition there are no easy ways out. We all KNOW what we need to do each and every day to be successful but making it a priority is where many of us fall short. It amazes me how easy it is to make so many excuses as to why to NOT eat somewhat healthy:

• • I have family in town
  • I am going on vacation
  • The big game, graduation, wedding (fill in the blank) is this weekend
  • I am going to visit my mother

***NEWS FLASH***

All of these things have occurred in your life for years and will most likely continue to happen…when will you make your long-term health more important? Your nutrition will never be perfect and nothing in life ever is. But just as you wouldn’t throw your car away because you got a flat tire, don’t throw your otherwise good nutrition away due to one day/meal that doesn’t check all of the “healthy” boxes. Fix it, move on and have a back-up for the next time that it happens so that you are prepared to be successful. Just remember..its NOT easy and everyone will NOT be able to do it.