There are only three things you need to do to achieve and maintain optimal fitness (which works on your psychological fitness at the same time). These three steps are very easy and very difficult. But motivation is the biggest hurdle when beginning this journey to be fit and have the best possible health. Yes, the Chinese proverb says that “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”. That’s true for your journey to health, too.

And the first step is actually DOING something. This could be anything from walking around the block to signing up for a marathon, but you have to start. Of course, check with your doctor and remember where you’re starting from, but joining a gym, buying a bike, kicking out your old sneakers—anything you do to convince yourself that you’ve really started on this journey is the first step to being there. .

The second step is continuous. Throughout your program (hopefully this journey will last a lifetime), you need to find ways to keep track of your progress. Should you start with a weigh-in and body measurements? Up to you. Should you start with a “before” photo? Up to you. Should I start writing down what you ate on the last day before starting this new healthy diet? Up to you. But, for your personality and character, choose some way that you can track your progress so that those periods to come when you seem to be regressing or haven’t progressed for a long, long time, you can see exactly how far you’ve come in your life. journey.

Keep a chart of your weight in the bathroom; keep a food diary (and give yourself permission to break the “diet” for one meal each week – this will make it much easier to stay on track); take photos of yourself every month in the same clothes so you can really see the progress; choose some way to track yourself and stay on course.

The third step is for both fun and health. Find an exercise buddy. Maybe you have a couple of friends—one you hike with, one you swim with, and one you do yoga with, for example—who will walk alongside you on this journey. This will help you stay on track because on those days you don’t want to be responsible to yourself, you will feel responsible to your friend. And he will be VERY good for your mind. It will add the plus point of socializing to the pain of making your body go one step further when it’s so tired. The social aspect of getting fit cannot be stressed enough. When something is fun, you will want to do it more.

As you can see? Easy as one, two, three. Now just go out there and do it.