As we say goodbye to 2012 you may be considering losing those extra few pounds you packed on over the Holidays. Perhaps it is your New Year’s resolution to get in better shape.

Whatever the reasons for your contemplation of health and fitness, we encourage you to start the entire process in a way that you have never done in the past…in your head. That’s right; we are telling you that one of the best approaches to health and fitness is to begin with a fundamental shift in your attitude towards it.

Here is what we mean:

1. Fitness experts indicate that exercise is best when it is habitual – unless you adore your job you probably don’t leap out of bed each day just raring to get to work. This is because it is a “must” or a “chore” that you really have no choice over. If, on the other hand, you think about things like brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, and sipping a cup of coffee…well, you don’t exactly dread these things do you? That is because they are habitual and part of the day to day routine. So, if you can get yourself to see exercise in the same way you see putting on your shoes, well…it stops being a negative. Simply changing exercise into an act as necessary as breathing alleviates you of the burden of “having to exercise”. Instead, you go on that pleasant three mile walk because it is just what you do. You do twenty minutes of Pilates because it is part of your daily life, etc.
2. Advocates point out that variety really is the spice of your exercise life – why make a habit a “routine”? If you have altered your perception of fitness and made it something done each day, you can ensure that you stick with it by choosing things that feel more like play or fun. For example, let’s say that you enjoy stretching and core work…mix up the routine and opt for different Pilates and Yoga routines, fun and unusual stretching tapes, etc. Don’t lock yourself into the “same old-same old” because you will fall off course. Instead, make it fun, different, and unique on a regular basis.
3. Book it – routines can be the death of energy and excitement, but you do need to consider the value of booking a fixed time each day for your fitness. If you don’t, it becomes easy to wave it off as something that just can’t fit into the schedule. So, go ahead and make plans to keep all of the workouts different and fun, but be sure you choose a set time each day to do the workouts. You don’t have to do the same time slot each day, but just be sure that you have locked it into your schedule.

In addition to the physical fitness you need to consider your dietary fitness too. And the one strong suggestion that we can make is that you never, under any circumstances, focus entirely on what you cannot have. Instead, turn the tables on yourself (no pun intended) and tell yourself all of the things that you can have when you eat a healthy diet.

Once you make these major changes in your attitude and outlook on health and fitness you will find that you no longer look for quick fixes, trendy eating plans, or other fads. Instead, you lead a healthy life and enjoy many delicious foods because they fit into your plans.