Being at your best - both how you feel and how you look does not require extreme measures or a highly restrictive, regimented lifestyle. Reasonable choices and a general respect for your health and physical body are the foundation of a balanced lifestyle from which health and an aesthetically pleasing physique follow naturally. It is simply moving the body in a manner that resembles the way it was genetically made to move and fueling it with food it was genetically made to eat. This is not an extreme approach; it is common sense and simple. Inactivity, refined foods, chronic stress, and lack of sleep are the complexities of modern life that will take their toll on physical and mental health unless better choices are made.

Looking and feeling physically great can be broken down into 4 key components which exercise and healthy eating are keys to achieving. Stay healthy - Positive physical changes are only possible when healthy. Increase lean body mass - Strong active muscles improve shape, mobility and posture, increase energy levels and metabolism and burn excess body fat even at rest. Decrease body fat - Improves health and mood, increases energy and metabolism, and reduces sickness and disease. Positive outlook - An optimistic view of the future and a good self-image always precede positive physical changes.

Being healthy and looking great go hand in hand.
The following 3 points of focus are the keys to achieving your physical best.

1. Be physically active every day

Exercise is the closest thing there is to an anti-aging pill. It positively effects health and reduces the prevalence of and aids in recovery from illness and disease including all forms of heart disease and related complications, most cancers, depression, and osteoporosis. While benefits increase with duration and intensity, moderate exercise, especially for a sedentary individual will make a big difference. The key is to do it now, it doesn’t matter what you have been doing for the past 10 years, it is what you do today that matters. Find an activity you enjoy and start today, focus on the positive you are doing for yourself and keep at it. Exercise is not an all or none game; anything is 100% better than nothing at all. Resistance training is the most effective form of exercise for improving body composition (leaning out and improving muscle tone) and maintaining it.

2. Eat a nutrient dense diet

Focus on fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, lean meats, nuts and seeds.

When it comes to food it is important to supply your body with all the nutrients it requires to maintain health and function properly. Under eating in order to lose weight leads to poor health and ultimately increased body fat when the starvation period inevitably ends (this is due to the fact that a body subjected to starvation becomes increasingly effective at increasing fat stores). Eat whole foods, staying away from sugar, highly refined foods, and unhealthy fats (saturated and hydrogenated). Focus on fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, lean meats, nuts and seeds, and drink water throughout the day.

3. Lower your stress level

Chronic stress leads to weight gain and to a variety of health problems including heart disease. Taking quiet time to relax, simplifying life where possible, getting enough sleep and exercising are all effective methods to clear your mind and reduce stress.