Unhealthy Lifestyle? That’s Okay!

Unhealthy Lifestyle? That’s Okay!

Does your lifestyle involve frequent dining out, indulging in alcohol, and enjoying social gatherings? Used to be able to get away with it, but now you're noticing it taking a toll on your waistline, appearance, and energy? Sure, you could make some serious lifestyle changes, eat a near perfect diet, get plenty of sleep, rarely consume alcohol and all your problems would melt away, but is that at all realistic for you? I’d be lying if I told you, you could keep up with your current lifestyle and have the absolute best body you’re genetically capable of obtaining, but if you know you’re lifestyle isn’t changing and you just want to maintain a healthy weight, have some toned arms, and not be embarrassed to wear a swimsuit at the beach, then it is possible to have your cake and a nice body too.  Here’s how:

Workout

It’s not exactly true that you can’t outwork a bad diet. Strength training 2-4x per week and doing metabolic training 1-2x a week can help counter a less than perfect lifestyle. Strength training is key for creating lean muscle mass, which requires your body to burn more calories at rest. Simply put, it provides the biggest bang for your buck since it continues working for you, even after the workout has ended. Metabolic training is crucial for heart health, which is definitely necessary if you’re lifestyle isn’t the best. A hard metabolic workout can also temporarily increase your caloric burn, so if you know you’re going to indulge, a metabolic workout prior can help minimize the impact.

Workout Consistently

One week on, two weeks off is not going to cut it. If your lifestyle consists of eating out, drinking, socializing, and even frequent travel, you cannot skip workouts. Working out 3-4x week, every week is going to be the only way to minimize the impact on your appearance and health. If you’re not going to change your lifestyle, then your workout routine must be non-negotiable. Staying consistent, even when you’re traveling, is the key to outworking a bad diet.

Pick Your Perfect

Let’s face it, there are simply things about your lifestyle that you’re not willing to change and that’s okay. Ask yourself, what are you willing to change though? Not every aspect of your lifestyle needs to be perfectly healthy, but something does. If you regularly eat out for dinner and you know that isn’t going to change, then what about your breakfast and lunch? Are you willing to make those perfect to make up for your dinners? If skipping out on parties or workout events isn’t an option, then are you willing to just be a social drinker instead of a nightly drinker?

Find the things you can do perfectly and do them without fail. I guarantee you’ll be able to find more things you can do right than you do wrong. That will help shift the balance and minimize the negative impact on your health.

Supplement

Take your vitamins. Supplements were created for you! It’s probably unlikely that you’re getting everything you need from your diet. It’s probably more likely that you need some extra nutrients to counter the bad things you’re doing to your body. Give yourself an edge and take your vitamins.

No one’s lifestyle is perfect all the time. We all have flaws and life is life. We want to enjoy it and we want to enjoy it for a long time. It’s hard to enjoy if we’re out of shape and don’t feel confident. The good news is you don’t have to give up the things you love doing. You just have to be smart and account for the good and the bad.