The Fit Life: How to Balance Healthy Eating and Exercise

In order to be able to say that you have a healthy life, you need to make sure you’re eating well and getting plenty of exercise every day. Exercise helps reduce stress, improves your mood, and lets you have more energy throughout the day—all things that lead to feeling like your life is in order! Healthy eating has similar effects; with the right diet, you can lose weight, improve your skin and hair, and feel great about yourself! Read on to learn how to balance healthy eating and exercise in your life so that you can have both the body and mind that you deserve!

Keep it Regular

A healthy diet alone won’t get you into shape; you also need regular exercise. The best way to make sure you hit your fitness goals is by creating a routine that includes both healthy eating habits and daily exercise. Once you’ve got your routine set, finding ways to integrate fitness into your life (like on your commute or during TV commercials) will become easier. It can be hard at first, but once it becomes second nature, staying fit will feel more like part of your life than a big commitment. You might even find that it helps clear up room in your schedule for other important things. Most importantly, remember that change doesn’t happen overnight—stick with it!

Get Plenty of Sleep

According to a National Sleep Foundation poll, only four in 10 Americans get enough sleep on work nights. If you want to lose weight and feel your best, make sure you're getting 7-8 hours of restful sleep every night. You may need to check with your doctor before making any changes if you have a history of insomnia or other sleep disorders. However, don't overdo it—trying too hard or sleeping too much can leave you feeling groggy, which is why it's important to figure out what works for you! Read more about how much sleep is right for you here . If it feels like some days are better than others when it comes to your energy levels, that's because they are!

Don’t Skip Breakfast

If you are trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, don’t skip breakfast! Breakfast is one of those meals that get skipped too often by dieters. However, it is extremely important not only for nutrition but also for curbing hunger throughout your day. A quick breakfast is better than no breakfast at all. Eating small amounts at regular intervals helps keep blood sugar levels steady, which in turn will prevent spikes in hunger that lead to overeating later in the day.

Drink Plenty of Water

Dehydration is one of the most overlooked health problems in America. And although we all know that water is good for us, many of us still don’t drink enough—or even realize how much we need. The American Council on Exercise recommends that healthy adults consume about 6-8 glasses of water per day. Most of us don’t realize how important it is to drink enough—and sometimes we even forget to do it altogether!

Eat Smaller, Filling Meals

Regular meals keep your metabolism active, making it easier for you to maintain a healthy weight. It’s also wise to make sure each meal includes protein, so your body has plenty of nutrients to work with. When working toward a healthier lifestyle, don’t forget about water; at least half of your daily fluid intake should come from H2O. When it comes to exercise, it's time-consuming but well worth investing in a fitness tracker; if you don't have one already, there are lots of models on our list of best fitness trackers under $100 . There are lots of other cheap fitness trackers that might suit your needs just as well!

Snack Mindfully

My #1 tip for maintaining fitness and living a healthy life is to snack mindfully. To snack mindfully, you must avoid these three major snacking pitfalls that lead directly to weight gain or at least slow your progress in achieving your health goals. First, keep calorie intake under control. Second, choose low-calorie options instead of high-calorie ones whenever possible. Finally, maintain a food diary so you can track how many calories you are actually consuming each day. Then, once you know exactly how many calories you need each day to achieve your fitness goals (hint: it's not as much as you'd think), eat accordingly while still enjoying snacks from time to time! Here's a list of some tasty healthy snacks that keep me going during my busiest days!

Embrace Your Own Pace

No matter how many fitness gurus or advertising campaigns might want you to believe that there’s a magic formula for being healthy, being fit is about finding your own pace. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Everyone has different health needs, and everyone also has different priorities for how they spend their time. So focus on what matters most in your life right now—and embrace your own pace toward a more balanced approach to health and fitness.