Get Healthy Right Now–It’s Possible!

If you’re on Twitter, maybe you’ve seen me tweet with the hashtag #fitluential, and maybe you wondered what that was. Fitfluential is a group of fitness fanatics working to spread a positive, healthy message year-round, and I am a Fitfluential Ambassador, which means I’m spreading the word about how awesome a healthy lifestyle can be.

I know lots of people wait until New Year’s to make resolutions to change, but you don’t have to wait! You can start today. Today, before the holidays are even over. So, here’s 7 tips that you can use today to get healthy.

1.No more excuses. Start right now. There’s no time like the present. You can start to change your life RIGHT NOW. Write down some healthy foods you’ll get on your next grocery store trip. Go take a walk. Look, you’re getting healthier already! Go look up gym memberships or exercise DVDs. (After you read this post, of course.)

2. Smart, measurable, actionable, realistic timely goals (S.M.A.R.T. goals) I wanted to lose 50 pounds in six months, which is theoretically possible if you 100% stick to plan, but I am also human. My trainer and I planned for this goal and then altered it a bit along the way. We took baseline measurements and a baseline weight and measured my success against that. He took actions to draw me up a plan that would get me to drop at least 30 pounds in six months.

3. Every step counts. Going from zero exercise to walking counts. Switching from white pasta to whole-wheat pasta counts. I didn’t go from couch to marathon immediately.

4. Don’t be afraid to try new things. You want your body to do things it’s never done before, you need to treat it diferently. Try kale. Try that class you’ve had your eye on at the gym. Who knows, you might surprise yourself–you might love it!

5. But do what works in your lifestyle. Healthy looks different for everyone else. Some people love Zumba, I’m not a fan. It’s okay. Maybe they don’t like running. Don’t make yourself do something you hate.

6. You will have to make sacrifices. When I was trying to lose weight, I had such a specific goal that I sacrificed a lot during that year. I sacrificed some time with friends in favor of trips to the gym. But good lord, was it worth it to wear a bikini in Aruba when I’d been dreading hiding under a big beach towel so nobody saw me.

7. Healthy food is about more than salad. My stomach is not a huge fan of salad, and I lost 50 pounds barely eating salad. It’s possible.

What tips would you give someone to get started right now? Or what’s kept you going on your healthy journey? What are your biggest hurdles to a healthy lifestyle?