Practical Tips to Finally Accomplish Your Health and Fitness Goals (and Turn Heads at the Beach, Too)

You're probably just a few steps away from the health and body you've dreamed of, and just a few minor tweaks in your lifestyle and diet can make all the difference. Here are proven tips based on my years of personal experience working with top trainers and nutritionists and reading countless books. Now, you can learn the easy way what it has taken me years to learn the hard way.

Most people want to look and feel their best (and let's face it, everyone dreams of turning admirers' heads at the beach), but the overwhelming number of health books, fad diets and fitness experts preaching different theories can make it almost impossible for the average person to know what to do. After years of athletic training and enduring a lot of trial and error with top fitness coaches and nutritionists, I've identified some key fundamentals that are critical to ensuring you reach your health and fitness goals. I'm not a doctor or nutritionist -- just a woman who has learned a lot through her own experience and wants to share her insights to help others. I plan to write a series of articles to help people learn the easy way what it has taken me years to learn the hard way. Truth is, you can work out like a beast and diet till you turn blue, but if you don't follow some basic guidelines, you probably won't get where you want. Chances are, you're probably doing many good things, such as exercising and eating relatively healthful meals, but you're probably slightly "off" on a couple of key points, and a few minor but critical tweaks in your lifestyle and diet can make all the difference. Consider the 10 following tips and then consult a nutritionist with a proven track record developing successful fitness nutrition programs to develop a program that's right for you. 1. Eat breakfast as soon as you wake up. If you exercise in the morning, never do it on an empty stomach. Breakfast jump-starts your metabolism and also keeps you fuller throughout the day, enabling you to resist those intense mid-afternoon hunger pangs that can get you in trouble. 2. Eat every three hours and at the right times of day. Seriously. Think of your metabolism as a fire. If you don't keep enough wood in the fire, it will die. If you put too much wood at once, it will die. The trick is to keep that metabolic "fire" alive by feeding it every three hours. A faster metabolism helps you stay healthier and leaner. So, you should have breakfast, then a mid-morning snack, such as a light yogurt, and after lunch you should have a mid-afternoon snack, such as a protein shake, followed by dinner. Don't eat late at night or before going to sleep. Don't bring food to your bed at night. For most people, anything they eat late at night will turn to fat. That's just the way your metabolism works, and unfortunately there's no way around it. Here's what I do: I wake up every day at 7 a.m., and I have my last meal at 7 p.m. I have breakfast at 7:15 a.m., a snack at 9:30 a.m., lunch at 12 p.m, a mid-afternoon snack at 3 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. Granted, eating at the right times is probably one of the most important -- and most difficult -- rules to follow. My requirement to have dinner at 7 p.m. often makes it difficult for me to eat dinner with friends and clients. To succeed with my health and fitness goals, I had to come to grips with the fact that my eating regimen is drastically different from the way most people eat, and I had to learn to disregard comments from people who don't understand and how to resist the temptation to succumb to pressure from peers. I had to have the guts to tell people: "I don't eat dinner after 7 p.m., but I will be happy to accompany you to the restaurant and have coffee or tea with you, and enjoy your company." Seriously, it sounds crazy, but that's what I do. Believe it or not, every morning I pack all the foods I'm going to have during the day, and I bring them with me to my office in a small soft-sided cooler. I own my own business, and I often have to travel to meetings with clients, so I bring my food with me to ensure that I will eat on time. Honestly, this sometimes means eating lunch in my car while driving to a meeting, but for me, this is what I must do to retain my good health and physique. If I don't have my food prepared ahead of time, there's no way I will be able to eat what I want, when I need to eat it, and I will end up skipping meals, which slows down my metabolism. Some easy ways to ensure you can have a meal every three hours: Pack a green apple, a handful of no-salt cashews or a tuna package in your bag. GNC sells great bottles for mixing protein drinks that have a separate container at the bottom where you can carry your protein powder. When you're on the road and it's time to have your protein shake, you can just pick up a bottle at any gas station and add 10-12 ounces of water to the powder, shake it and voila, you're done! 3. Control your portions. Most people eat way too much. Most Americans are overweight because our portions are insanely huge. Portion control is the trick most personal trainers and body-builders use to stay in shape. In fact, "what you eat" is not even as important as "how much you eat." Consult a nutritionist to determine the right balance of protein and carbs that you should be consuming each meal. For example, I generally have six ounces of protein with four ounces of carbs. A typical lunch for me consists of six ounces of grilled chicken breast with four ounces of carbs, usually in the form of mixed vegetables. But this is the formula that's right for "me, " and you should find the formula that's right for "you" depending on your body fat percentage, height, gender, weight, etc. 4. Drink at least one gallon of water per day. Most people don't drink enough water, and this causes them to retain water and look bloated and heavier than they should. Drink at least one gallon of water per day, evenly throughout the day. Water that's at room temperature is better for your digestive process than water with ice. 5. Minimize your sodium intake. Sodium causes water retention and makes you carry extra water weight. This can prevent muscle definition from appearing. Most people aren't aware of the obscene amounts of sodium in most foods, including bread, cereals, tuna, cheese, etc. When buying bread, for example, read the labels and compare the amount of sodium in each type of bread. I buy the zero sodium whole-wheat bread sold at Whole Foods. Another great one is Ezekiel's live sprouted whole grain low-sodium bread, also sold at Whole Foods. Another tip: Instead of salt, use pepper and spices such as Mrs. Dash, which has no sodium and makes meats and vegetables taste great (I have the entire collection in my cupboard -- my favorites are the Southwestern and the Chicken). Once you get used to eating without salt, you will find yourself enjoying the "natural" flavors of foods, and you will find restaurant-prepared foods overwhelmingly salty. 6. Prepare your own meals or learn the right way to order food at restaurants. It goes without saying that fast-food restaurants should be avoided. Even their so-called "healthful salads" have no significant nutritional value and, when you add up the calories from the cheeses and dressing, you might as well have ordered a Big Mac. Unfortunately, even the finest of restaurants overload their dishes with crazy amounts of sodium, butter, fat and oil. The chefs aren't as concerned about protecting your health as they are about seasoning their meals so they taste good and their customers will come back for more. This holds true no matter how upscale the restaurant. Also, many of them use salt, butter and oil to "disguise" the taste of old fish, meats and vegetables to extend their shelf life so they don't have to throw them away and replace them with fresh ones. Cooking at home is the only way to guarantee your meals are properly prepared. I only choose high-quality restaurants that will prepare foods with absolutely no salt and oil. For example, I order fresh, oven-baked or steamed fish prepared without any salt or oil, with a side of raw or steamed vegetables. I order salads without any dressing. To someone who has never tried this, it will definitely sound crazy. They will assume this tastes terrible, and they will wonder how I can live this way. However, whenever I order fresh fish prepared this way, I let my skeptical friends try a bite and they all agree it tastes great and even better than their own dish that was flooded with fattening sauces. Which brings me to my next point: Avoid restaurant-prepared sauces, particularly creamy sauces. They might taste great, but they are terrible for your health because they contain too much sodium and fat. 7. Be careful with sugar. If you must have sugar, go for organic brown sugar or natural honey. Stevia, sold at Whole Foods, is an excellent alternative to sugar. It's expensive, but worth it. You probably knew that you should avoid sweets and junk foods, but I bet you weren't aware that vegetables like carrots and fruits like bananas and oranges are very high in sugar, and should be consumed in moderation and at the right time of day. Here's a real example: One of my friends had a banana every morning with her breakfast. She was in great health and had a beautiful body but, no matter how hard she trained and dieted, she could never seem to get rid of that little bit of belly fat and cellulite. Then I brought her to my nutritionist, who told her that the banana was the culprit preventing her from getting rid of the belly fat and cellulite. He told her to have 1/4 of a banana rather than a whole one per day, and to drink more water throughout the day. For her particular body, eating an entire large banana every day was simply too much. Also, he suggested potassium-rich kiwi fruit as a better alternative for her. This worked like a charm. In two weeks, she saw a significant difference, and after six weeks, her belly fat was gone -- something she had never been able to accomplish with any amount of diet and exercise! No matter what your individual goals are, the lesson to take away from this is that usually a small adjustment, such as eating less of one thing and more of another, can make all the difference. 8. Take vitamins. I take a good multi-vitamin that my nutritionist recommended, which is specifically developed for women and contains all the supplements I need. Everyone should do the same. 9. Limit alcohol consumption. I know most people won't be able to follow this rule. But the truth is, you should think of alcohol as liquid fat. It slows your metabolism and makes you gain weight. Yes, EVEN RED WINE. Most people who defend the health benefits of red wine neglect to mention that the recommended portion is a five-ounce glass per day! Most people drink much more than five ounces, and they also drink it late at night, so it translates to fat. For most people, reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption alone can cause significant weight loss. Try it! 10. Do the right exercise for your body type and fitness goals. It's not productive to just go to the gym for an hour and do whatever comes to mind. I see many people wandering around the gym like lost souls, doing the same routine every day that's not designed for their body type and fitness goals, and looking the same every day, without making any progress. Like anything in life, you need a goal and a plan. Consult your nutritionist and fitness coach for a routine that works for you. However, there are some basics that everyone should know. The best way to shed excess body fat is to exercise early in the morning. This is a fact. Morning work-outs have more impact on your body than night-time workouts because of the way the human body works. In particular, slow jogs in the morning are more beneficial than fast-paced workouts for burning fat. Whenever I've wanted to trim down quickly, I've worked out twice per day, five days per week. I run one hour in the mornings at a slow pace, and then at night I take a spinning class or lift light weights. As a woman, I tend to get too bulky if I lift heavy weights. So I've found that running, spinning and lifting light weights is the best combination for me. I also mix up my routines so my body doesn't get used to doing the same thing. Again, this is what works for me, and you should find what works best for you by consulting an expert. Optimizing your health and life requires discipline. When you begin to focus on eating right and exercising consistenlty, many of your family members and friends might not understand some of the things you do. They might try to "help" you by telling you that you look fine as you are, and you should "enjoy" life by partaking of that late-night steak dinner with french fries. To succeed, you have to learn to ignore their comments and listen to yourself. If you are like most people, you probably wonder why you don't have the health and body you have always wanted. Truth is, those goals are more attainable than you might imagine. There are probably a few "little things" you are doing wrong every day that are hurting you in a big way. You can find out what those are by visiting a nutritionist who specializes in fitness nutrition. Not all nutritionists are the same. Look for one with a proven track record working with athletes and helping people accomplish their fitness and health goals. Then, when you have reached your goals, you can take one day per week to "splurge" on a meal you enjoy. For example, I choose one night per week, usually a Saturday night, when I go to a favorite restaurant and eat whatever I want -- yes, that means things like bread, cheese, steak and even dessert. The next morning, I'm back at the gym and eating the right way. It's all about moderation. This works for me, and the key is to consult experts and find what works for you.

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