Ditch the quick-fix approach and opt for a more long-term and sustainable lifestyle, says Kurtis Stacey.

Over the past few months, I’ve met many people at fitness events and have been bombarded with clients. However, the one thing I have noticed is that not one person I’ve come across is looking for a lifestyle change. They all want quick-fix results. It always seems to be a case of ‘I want to burn fat/build muscle or train for a 10k’. But once that’s over and you’ve achieved the goal, what then? Where do you go from there?

What I want to encourage everyone to do is to look at a complete lifestyle change. Don’t opt for quick-fix Keto diets or no-carb diets. Don’t kill yourself exercising twice a day, six days a week, doing HIIT sessions and resistance training until you’re blue in the face. Instead, take your time and create something sustainable, healthy and long-lasting. In turn, you will gain strength, overall fitness and longer-lasting results. You will feel good, too!

Firstly, we need to break down when you should exercise and for how long. I believe one hour is enough time to train two muscle groups and include 20 minutes cardio. Use this as your base line. Next, consider how many days you should (and realistically) can work out. You would be looking at approximately four days per week to fit all muscle groups in.

Next up is your eating pattern and what you consume daily. This is the part that requires the most discipline. Whole foods like Greek yoghurt, vegetables, fruit, salad, meat, fish and wholegrain rice is the basis of your life-changing results. Preparation is key. If you prepare your meals each week you’ll be less likely to stray.

Let’s break it down:

Now, I know that may seem strict or difficult to stick to. Especially when you’re only just starting out. So, what I would suggest is to stick to this diet for five to seven days. For the other two days allow yourself to relax a little, within reason!
Don’t beat yourself up for having a treat or eating out. Depriving yourself will only make the process harder and set you back in the long run.

And, finally, patience. Living a healthy lifestyle is hard work. It’s one of the main reasons people fail to maintain it all year round. But be consistent. Use the basic rules I’ve given you as a foundation to build your own healthy lifestyle and you can’t go wrong.

For more information on healthy eating and training, you can find me on twitter @kurtisstaceyKS or browse through articles by BESTFIT’s expert contributors and find out how to avoid going for a quick-fix.