Many people are searching for a quick fix. They want to lose weight fast, or grow a booty in a week. Unfortunately with health, fitness and especially with changing your physique, it all takes time! The key to achieving those results, and keeping them, is creating a sustainable approach. If you do a program, or maybe an 8 week challenge, that involves an extreme approach, you will likely return to your old habits once it is over. This will, most likely, lead you right back to square one.

This is not how I do things, and not a part of the #LSFlifestyle!

Let’s start with nutrition, as this is often difficult for people to change and actually stick to. There are far so many ‘fad diets’ out there, where you are encouraged to completely remove an entire food group, eat next to no calories, consume only liquids or a combination of all of these. The reason these strategies are appealing is because they are black and white, and in theory simple. But you need to understand that if the diet that you are considering is not something that you can’t stick to for the rest of your life, then it isn’t setting you up for long term success! As soon as you reintroduce these foods (or solids) to your diet, your body is not going to react well, and you won’t have the knowledge to know how to successfully include these foods in your everyday life. A better (or in my opinion, the best) way to approach healthy nutrition, even if you are working towards a specific goal, is to love the way you eat. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to achieve a goal when you enjoy the journey?

When deciding on your meals and cooking them, get creative! Just because you’re eating a nutritious diet does not mean that it needs to be boring and bland. If your ‘healthy’ meals are bland, tasteless and you dislike them, then you are not going to stick to them for long. Look up some healthy and creative recipes, or take a look at my nutrition e-book series. There are plenty of fun meals that I promise will keep your tastebuds engaged! All of the recipes in my meal plans are simple, yet full of flavour, so my #LSFbabes are gaining the tools to fuel themselves in a sustainable and enjoyable way!

Another key aspect of creating long-lasting results with your nutrition approach is to avoid restriction. This takes being in tune with your body and mind and learning when to indulge in that chocolate or ice cream after dinner. If you have hit all of your micronutrient, fibre and protein goals for the day then eating a sensible amount of food that isn’t as micronutrient dense will not affect your results. You are actually creating more long-lasting adherence to this healthier lifestyle by allowing yourself these things occasionally instead of cutting them out completely, and over-eating them later down the track.

The key to making regular exercise a part of your life is finding a training or exercise program that you love!

When it comes to training, you really need to enjoy the style of training that you are performing. There is no reason that you should not be able to find a style of exercise that suits you and that you love, as there are so many variations out there! I obviously love to lift weights in the gym, which is what a lot of my #LSFbabes love to do also. Because of this enjoyment, it makes dedicating myself to actually going so much easier (even over the YEARS that I’ve been going to the gym). We all have our off days where motivation is low, and it’s important to understand that you may need to learn to love your program, however generally speaking I sincerely look forward to getting to the gym every day, love the lifting lifestyle and the way it makes me feel!

To get an idea of what an LSF session is all about, try this workout from my always-on 8 Week Build Program –

If you don’t love lifting weights and find that, after several weeks or months of trying, it is a constant mission to force yourself to do it, then give something else a go. HIIT style training always gets your heart-rate up and triggers awesome post-workout endorphins. Try class-hopping and finding something that resonates with you and that you can see yourself going back to for weeks to come. There is pilates, yoga, dancing, cardio circuits and so much more on offer!

Don’t feel as though you need to stick to one style of training for the rest of your life. If you have been doing one thing for months on end and can feel yourself getting bored or hitting a plateau, this is the time to change things up. As long as you are moving your body and staying active and healthy, it doesn’t matter which form of exercise you may choose!

Often it can be worthwhile trying out several different gyms too if you have the option. I have learned from personal experience that for many people, the equipment, location, community, and even the vibe of each gym is different and is something that can make or break your training experiences!

The main take away I want you to gather from this is that the secret to creating long-lasting results is to make your healthy lifestyle exactly that, a LIFESTYLE!