Staying in shape is tough. So I’ve always heard. That’s not actually true, but it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy if you say it often enough. A fit and healthy body becomes a natural and obvious outcome of incorporating healthy eating and exercise into your lifestyle. There are periods in your life when organizing your time to accommodate anything beyond the essentials seems impossible. Job, spouse, kids, house – all take time. Agreed. My point is that fitness is one of your essentials, or at least it should be, and that you can be fit and healthy no matter how busy you are.

First, what is fitness? Our national concept of fitness has different connotations depending on the medium, the source, and the audience. For much of the US, a “fit” physique is found on the cover of magazines in the grocery store or on a Victoria Secrets television special. That’s not reality and those bodies are not achievable (they’re not even real, but that’s another story), so forget about them. We’ll talk about body image in a bit. You’ll have to decide what fitness means to you, but to me the concept includes a body that is attractive and functional. To be fit and healthy means that I can move freely, am strong, coordinated, have stamina, and am, generally, pain free. In addition, for me being fit requires that I can play my sports at a certain level of athletic ability. My idea of fitness and health has changed over the years and continues to evolve. I can’t expect to look or move at age 60 like I did at 35, but I still need to move. Your definition is going to be different than mine and, as you go through this life-long process, will also evolve.

The focus of this essay is working towards a healthy, fit body. I am not specifically writing about weight loss here except for people who may need to reduce their weight to reach their goal. Also, these guidelines are for people who are not encumbered by chronic illness or disability.

My credentials as an expert? Well, I’ve spent my entire scientific career dealing with human health and preventing illness, but more importantly, I’ve been at the far end of the fitness continuum for all of my adult life. I’ve also stayed abreast of the current research to improve my own workouts, but I’m not sure any of that qualifies me as an expert. Over the last decade, so many weight loss and fitness tenets have been debunked by the newest empirical research that anyone’s expertise is open to question. This is just sharing what I’ve learned over the years and maybe it’ll help someone. No wholesale upheaval of anyone’s life, just a few concepts:

Goals – Set realistic, achievable goals. Make the goals incremental so that after reaching the initial levels you can move on, with a feeling of accomplishment, towards your next level. If I were to set a group of overarching goals for everyone, they would be to improve mobility; increase flexibility; achieve a healthy weight; maintain solid bone density; ensure functioning, pain free joints, and reach a reasonable level of strength. I don’t think your goal should be to achieve a muscular physique.

Body Image – A healthy body is not reflected on the cover of a magazine. Those women and men are freaks of nature who benefit from camera angles, shadows, body makeup, and photo re-touching. So, even THEY don’t look like them. Why should you try to? Ignore that. Instead, Like Yourself. Now. Just the way you are. Say to yourself, “I’m good now, but I want to be able to do . . . and here’s how I’m going to get there.” Make sure that your journey to fitness and health is one of discovery not desperation. Always keep in mind that you’re moving in the right direction – even when you get a little sidetracked.

Diet – This is really important. From here on out, for the rest of your life, YOU ARE NOT ON A DIET. Remember in elementary school when you learned, “The diet of a ring tailed lemur consists of insects, bark, and small mammals.” Well, you are the ring tailed lemur! Sorry, I can imagine how rough that may be to hear from a stranger, but you’re the lemur. What you eat IS your diet. You are not ON a diet anymore. Being on a diet is a recipe for failure. For over 95% of Americans, diets don’t work. No more of that.

There are foods to seek out and foods to avoid. Except for one class of products, I would not recommend eliminating any broad type of food. Your aim should be to eat healthy food and healthy portions – without draconian measures. If you are able to consistently move in this direction in your diet, not only will you look and feel healthier, but you will begin to alter the pathways in your brain that have reinforced your bad eating habits over the years.

Sugar, Carbs, and Fat – Refined sugar is a ubiquitous poison in our society. In its many forms, refined sugar is found in almost all of our processed foods, particularly those labeled “fat free”. I am not recommending that you eliminate sugar from your diet, just become more aware of foods that are high in sugar and limit your intake of those foods.

I do insist, however, that you set as one of your primary goals the total elimination of sugar soda and other “high fructose” drinks at the earliest possible time. Soda, and sugared drinks, are a major cause the obesity epidemic in the US and a critical roadblock in achieving a healthy weight and fit body. They must be gone. I did it. Many others have done it. You can do it. As Steve Jobs said in a different context, “It’s just sugar water”.

Americans love carbs and all humans love fats (fats make many food taste so good). Cut them back. Get to know the food labels and reduce your intake of carbs and fats. More fruits and vegetables. More natural foods. Less processed foods. It’s not that difficult, nor is it that easy. Start. Eat better.

Exercise – Reaching your fitness goals and a health body requires more than just eating correctly. Your body has to move to function properly for your entire lifespan. Movement improves cardiovascular functioning, joints, strength, flexibility, and bone health. Over the last 10-15 years, I have incorporated much more movement into my exercise regimen. Even my weight workouts now emphasize a full range of motion with lighter weights and cables and I’ve added my own version of yoga poses (Moga!) along with exercise balls, bands, and balancing routines. No more weighted squats. No more bicep curls. No more clean and jerks. I am a firm believer that movement in exercise is the best way to a fit, toned, useful, and healthy body. If you don’t believe me, look at the bodies of the pro athletes from the sports that emphasize motion – dance, soccer, basketball, track, and tennis. Those are some pretty fit bodies. Stress movement and motion – not heavy weights  – to get the healthy body you want. Not a big fan of “cross fit” for lifelong fitness. BTW, if you want to start doing some “road work” for cardio, start by walking – easier on all the joints and you’re more likely to stick with it.

Classes or a Friend – If you’re new to exercise, hire a trainer who can work up an exercise regimen to help you move to your goals. You may want to look into classes near you or as part of your gym. The empirical data is overwhelming that most of us are more likely to keep on an exercise schedule if we are part of a group or if we work out with a friend. That makes perfect sense considering that humans are social animals. Personally, although I have the same deep rooted, reasonable fear of prison that all males possess, I think I’d rather have a cellmate than a “workout buddy”. But that’s me. Join a class or rope in a friend – whatever motivates you to start up and to keep moving towards your goals.

That’s it. Sure, there’s a lot more detail that can be delved into, but this is enough to start. Keep it simple, but start. Start now. Think of what you have to gain and, really, what do you have to lose?