Welcome Back!!

You probably already know that your lifestyle is the biggest reason behind why most folks can’t keep their body fat at lean levels. It is the reason why after dieting & working out or plain starrving to reach a particular weight (instead of focussing on how you look and your clothes fit…) getting there on the scales and then within weeks often end up back where they started… or even worse – fatter than before!  The reality is we tend to live unhealthy and fat storing lifestyles is because they are EASILY ACCESSIBLE to us.

Hungry?  There’s a fast food restaurant within a few blocks from almost wherever you are.

Thirsty? It’s soooo easy to crack open a can of sugar laden soda or chemical filled diet soda, isn’t it?

Exercise?  It’s too easy to just hop on the treadmill for a few minutes and casually jog or walk while watching TV and say to yourself, “Now I’ve gotten in some exercise”.

BUT HERE’S THE TRUTH:

Eating better, exercising better and living better isn’t much harder…it’s just that we have to figure out ways to make it just as accessible…just as easy as living in an unhealthy manner.

So here are my top 7 tricks to make living leaner and stronger a true lifestyle, so you keep that weight off forever:

1. Drink water from a water bottle, not from a glass. It may seem like a little thing, but simply switching to a 32oz. water bottle and refilling it 3 times (rather than having to refill an 8 oz. glass 10 times a day) can make a HUGE difference in how much water you drink. 

2. Use pre-cut fruits and veggies. How many times have you chosen to eat something pre-packaged over a fruit or vegetable because it was just easier?  Getting your fruits and veggies in ‘ready to eat’ form will have you getting more of the micronutrients that your body thrives faster than ever.

3. Keep your healthiest foods at eye level. Whether in your cupboard or fridge, what you see first is typically what you’re going to eat, especially at snack times.  Don’t hide the fruits and veggies in a drawer…keep ‘em in front of your face, where they’ll be saying, “eat me!”.

4. Keep junk food out of your house. While it is not a good idea to completely cut out some of your favorite treats, keeping them out of your house is!  If it’s constantly in plain sight, guess what, you’re going to eat it! A wise man once said it’s much easier to control your environment than to control yourself.  Keep your special treats for when you’re enjoying a night out every so often.

5. Have ‘go-to’ meals and snacks. You know that eating smaller meals every 3 hours or so is the best way to keep your metabolism going and preventing over eating…but make that process easy and accessible by having a list of 2 or 3 go-to meals or snacks you can prepare in 5 minutes or less. One of my favorites is a quick whey proten shake made with frozen mixed berries using a stick mixer…

6. Work out in the morning…before you do anything else. While it’s usually best to work out when you have the most energy, many people find that their day just gets away from them and they end up with ‘no time’ to work out.  Wake up a bit earlier and knock out 25 or 30 minutes of HIIT training…now you can get on with your day without having to worry when you’re going to find time to work out. Even better your brain will be in top gear and you’ll energised and terrific!

7. Get a home gym setup now. This is another way to make it easier on yourself…and you don’t have to try to recreate a commercial gym for it to be efffective. All that you need is some basic strength training equipment. This means a skipping rope, a set of dumbbells or a couple of kettle bells, a chin up bar and if you can a weighted vest. This way you can ad some extra resistance and variety to bodyweight exercises.

Alright, I know these 7 tricks will make living the lean body lifestyle EASILY ACCESSIBLE to you starting today, and every day!

Remember, it doesn’t have to be difficult to live the way you want to live…it’s quite simple once you make the easy choices the right ones.

How many of these tricks are you following right now?  Do you have any others to share with us? Post ‘em in the comments below…