Short-term weight loss is easy. Long-term weight loss is much harder to achieve.

However, you know people who are permanently in beach-ready shape, so it is possible to be lean for life.

This begs the question: how can you lose weight for good?

The answer is not found in a single habit or action but rather in the following 5 Lean for Life Habits.

Habit #1: Reimagine Yourself

Until now, you’ve accepted the shape you are in, and even if you hate it, you’re comfortable with it. Read that again to make sure it sinks in. You are satisfied with the body that you have right now, and until you decide it’s no longer comfortable, you’ll be stuck in the shape you currently have.

Now spend time reimagining yourself leaner. Let that new image sink in until you’re more comfortable with it than you are with the image of your current body. Rinse and repeat. The clearer you can see and feel and imagine yourself in a lean body, the more urgency and desire you will create to achieve and maintain it.

Habit #2: Break-Up With Sugar

Look, Sugar, we have to break up. It’s not you; it’s me. Sure, we’ve had some good times. You’ve tickled my sweet tooth and pleased my taste buds, but loving you is a double-edged sword that leaves me heavy and out of shape. So this is it; we are through!

As silly as that sounded, your relationship with sugar is holding you back from living in a lean-for-life body. It’s not only refined sugar that is messing with your body composition; to be lean for life, you’ll also need to manage your natural sugars intake.

The good news is that every day spent without sugar will make the next day that much more accessible, and your cravings will become that much weaker. Stay strong, and soon you’ll be more than happy with the occasional sweet treat rather than the all-day sugar drip that’s sabotaging your swimsuit dreams.

Habit #3: Forget Dieting

Going on a “diet” implies a start and end date, but if you want to change your body composition for good, then there is no end to your healthy lifestyle. It’s a marathon of adapting to more nutritious (and more beneficial!) habits to maintain for the rest of your life. The day that you stop trying is the day that your body reverts to its old (less svelte) shape.

Don’t worry; the more time you get under your belt with healthy living, the easier it becomes. Soon your lean-for-life habits will feel like a typical day – just as your current practices think like an ordinary day now. The key is to stick with it until the habits entirely stick and to fight the urge to give up vigorously.

Habit #4: Plan Your Cheats

Being lean for life doesn’t mean swearing off pizza and ice cream for the rest of your days. (Thank goodness!) On the contrary, you’ll find that planned cheat meals of your favorite foods are more enjoyable than ever before. The key is to prepare your cheat meals and contain the excitement to one sitting each week.

The fun thing about enjoying a cheat meal while living a lean lifestyle is that there is zero guilt associated with the pleasure. Most of us experience pangs of guilt associated with most of our meals because we thought we should be eating healthier to lose the weight that we have yet to lose in the back of our minds. Once you’ve lost the fat and are actively living a lean life, those cheat meals will be 100% pleasure!

Habit #5: Be Part of a Fitness Family

Belonging to a group of fellow fitness enthusiasts is key to making and maintaining your body transformation. Being fit is easier achieved in a supportive and encouraging group rather than alone. The accountability provided by your fitness peers will save you from missing workouts and will get you to push yourself to try harder.

One of the most gratifying parts of being in a fitness family is the day when your support makes an impact on a new member. To give the encouragement that was given to you is a special moment that will stick with you and will recommit you to your fitness lifestyle.

I have created a fitness family that I’d love for you to join. Call or email today to see how you can find your place here with us!