Everybody would like to stay fit. A body in good shape is the key to self-confidence, healthy lifestyle and last, but definitely not least, being attractive. However, when one is super busy with trying to juggle between building a career, looking after a family, keeping touch with friends, s/he doesn’t have the time needed to build a fit physique. Because, after all, getting fit (and maintaining a fit body) requires working out and keeping a balanced diet. And due to fast-paced life, not everybody can achieve these goals. However, there are some tips that will help you, without spending too much time or money, to get in shape and remain that way.

Staying fit is made up of two basic components – exercise and diet. As much as it might be strange to believe, keeping a healthy and balanced diet is even more important than working out. Again, due to being too busy, a lot of people turn to junk food as it is easier to obtain. Learn how to eat properly…..starting with breakfast.

Remember, that eating just a little breakfast is better than eating no breakfast at all. Even if you are not hungry, try to at least drink a glass of water and eat a piece of fruit (an apple, a banana, etc.) or a granola bar. The breakfast is arguably the most important meal as it gives you the power to start the day. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Or, if you don’t feel like drinking water, you can vary with juice made of freshly squeezed fruits. Liquids help you digest food faster and easier. Try to eat five times a day. More but light meals are way better than one or two gigantic ones. Again, this helps your digestive system work faster. Otherwise, huge portions ‘shock’ your body and it barely manages to digest it all.

Try to stay away from carbs….or actually, to learn the difference between good and bad carbs. Bad ones are the so called ‘white’ foods. Make an attempt at substituting white bread with such made of whole-grain flour; use brown sugar rather than refined white sugar, brown rice instead of white one, pink crystal salt rather than regular white table salt. All of these substitutes have the same taste (if not even better) than their counterparts but are way healthier. Try to eat as little greasy food as possible because it is one of the biggest causes for putting on weight. Also, needless to say, avoid junk foods at any cost. As changing your food plan takes a bit of getting used to, do it little by little, one step at a time, until you have finally incorporated healthy eating into your lifestyle.

As for exercising, of course, the perfect option would be to make regular visits to the gym, but you can get fit even if you don’t have too much free time. Just include a couple of things in your daily routine. Start off by riding a bike rather than driving a car, whenever it is possible. Ideally, go to work by bike. When you have the chance, take the stairs instead of the elevator. If your job has to do with continuous sitting on a chair, do frequent stretching. Leg raises under the desk is also a good idea. If you are allowed to stand up every now and then – walk around the office and do a couple of squats. Cleaning, mowing the lawn and even playing with the kids are also good physical exercises.

Remember that anybody can make all sorts of excuses, but when it is time to actually doing things, a lot of determination is required.

– Grace Bailey is a marketing expert by profession and a writer by soul. She really enjoys writing various article about healthy lifestyle, home organizing and cleaning. You can read some of her publications at http://www.cleanngone.co.uk/.