Everyone knows that, in order to get the most out of life, they should adopt a healthy, well-balanced diet and strengthen their body with exercise. While we all recognise the importance of these two things, actually finding the time and motivation to adequately pursue them simultaneously often proves to be a lot easier said than done.

In today’s fast-paced world, it can almost feel impossible to find the time after a busy day of work to cook a healthy meal at home, let alone think about what to cook and what ingredients you need. This is why so many people who want to cook great tasting dinners at home are exploring ways to save time and make using their kitchen more convenient.
When it comes to working out, the rise in popularity of 24 hour gyms has given some more flexibility to busy people. However, people rarely take advantage of their 24 hour access as motivating yourself to work out in the very early morning or very late at night can be incredibly difficult.

The following will look at a few of the best ways you can ensure that you commit to both healthy eating and working out.

1. Plan ahead 


Actively planning out what healthy food you’re going to eat or what time you are going to head to the gym are both excellent ways to ensure you don’t miss out. Rather than just giving yourself a vague timeframe for when you’re going to have dinner or head to the gym, write down an actual concrete time when you’ll begin each activity.
It’s been proven that when we write down things we want to do, we are far more likely to actually do them. This is because the simple act of recording an activity makes it more grounded in reality and therefore something you’re more likely to commit to.

By doing this, you’ll likely find that you do in fact have the time to both eat healthy and work out.
Also, don’t just plan when you’re going to start each activity, plan exactly what you’re going to do. For eating this could mean writing down recipe instructions or a list of ingredients you need to shop for. For working out it could mean planning what types of exercises you intend to do and how many repetitions of each you think you can achieve.

By having all of these things thought out and recorded ahead of time, it cuts down on the panicked rush you feel when trying to organise all these things after getting through the front door. It also gives you less of an excuse to skip cooking or your workout because you feel overwhelmed by last minute organisation.

2. Start slow and work your way into it 


One of the biggest reasons new diets and exercise plans fail is because people give themselves too much to do too quickly. People want instant gratification and so they try to speed up their progress by making abrupt dietary changes or pursuing highly intensive workouts that demand a great deal of commitment.
In fact, overtraining in your workouts can be a major setback to progress.

More often than not; this approach is counter-productive. If you’ve never really tried to pursue a healthy diet or routine exercise regiment, then it’s much better to start with small steps and work your way into bigger ones.
For example, instead of radically changing your diet overnight, simply plan one or two healthy meals a week and slowly begin replacing your staples as you go. For exercise, start with low intensity workouts and focus on getting into the habit of sticking to a routine before making it more difficult.

3. Buddy up 


One of the best ways to ensure you stay committed to your new lifestyle is to begin your journey with someone else. The most obvious reason to do this is so that you can both keep each other motivated and ‘in-check’ by constantly reminding each other of the end goal.

The excuses you tell yourself to get out of healthy eating and exercising won’t work as well on a committed buddy. You’ll both have the responsibility of keeping each other on track.

Hopefully, the above tips are enough to get you started on your path to better eating and a more active lifestyle. Above all, you need to remember to stick to it every single day as you’ll only really feel and look better when you fully commit.
Stick to it, and you’ll be on the quickest path to looking better and feeling more confident about your life.