5 Steps to get to a better, fit life

5 Steps you can take TODAY to get on the road to a better, more fit life:

• Set an Alarm - Going to Bed and waking up at a consistent time each day gets your body into a regular rhythm. This can improve the quality of your sleep and helps to ensure that you are getting the 7-8 hours of sleep each night that your body needs to run at its best.
• Plan your Meals (and Snacks!) - Many of our poor choices when it comes to food happen when we just don't know what to eat, so we grab whatever is easiest...or closest. Instead of waiting until you are hungry and raiding the fridge, go into each day with a plan of what your meals will be. If you know what you will be preparing for each meal, and know how much time it will take and that you have the proper ingredients, you are much more likely to stick with the healthy choices that you want to make. Ideally, you should do this in conjunction with your grocery shopping and plan multiple days in row, but even just planning the day each morning is a good start. Don't forget the snacks! You will most likely get hungry between your meals...I know that I do. Pack yourself healthy snacks to bring with you to work to make good choices easy. Healthy snacking can help you to avoid over eating at mealtime and keep you energized throughout the day.
• Do Something Active - Ideally, you should set a goal to work out regularly. This will mean different things to different people. Whether you are training for an upcoming event and already working out daily or just looking to get up and moving, there are ways to add activity into your day. Take a walk on your lunch break, choose to take the stairs. If you are already working out, you can add a little extra to your daily routines: set a challenge for yourself like adding a set number of push-ups, squats or pull-ups to your daily workout. Go for an extra run each week or push yourself to a faster pace than you are used to.
• Drink Water - Your body needs water to survive, and it needs to be consistently hydrated to function at its peak. It is essential for proper digestion, lubricates joints, and is necessary for muscle function and regeneration, but so many of us don't drink as much as we should. A good starting point is to take your body weight, divide in half, and this number is the minimum number of fluid ounces of water you should be drinking daily. This number, however is just a starting point. If you are active, your body will need more along the lines of 80 to 100 ounces of water per day.
• Look Ahead to Tomorrow - So, you've crushed today and stuck with your goals and this is fantastic! Tomorrow is a new day, and, along with the new opportunities to be awesome, it may also have plenty of temptations for you to fall back into old habits or simply get derailed by the surprises that life hands you. Plan tomorrow as you planned today and be ready for anything that life throws your way. Set your alarm, plan your meals, schedule your workout and get your water bottles ready to go so that you can easily stick with your goals and stay on track to living your best life.