Far too often fitness is presented as complicated and confusing. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Being fit comes from living the following simple everyday practices:

1) Throw out your big dinner plates. Using small plates at home effortlessly reduces calorie intake and promotes weight loss.

2) Make exercise a regular part of your life. Create a network of accountability with workout partners or by working with me, your local fitness expert.

3)Know what you want to accomplish. Visualize the end result of your hard work.

4) Believe in you. I know that you CAN accomplish your goals.

 5) Don’t be a wimp. Keep the intensity high during your workouts.

6) Remember that you don’t want to kill time; you want to burn calories and strengthen your body through intense exercise.

7) Drink water all day long.

8) Know when to ask for help.

 9) Incorporate High Intensity Interval Training into your routine by doing bursts of high intensity rather than exercising at a single steady pace.

10) Maintain your metabolism by eating a healthy snack or meal every three hours. This food should be unprocessed, low in fat and high in fiber.

11) Forget will-power; it’s about WANT-power. How badly do you want it.

12) Never eat processed foods. These items are high in empty calories and contain a plethora of chemicals that are harmful to your health.

13) Fat contains twice the caloric density of carbohydrates and protein, so limit the amount of it that you eat. Fill your diet with lean protein and carbohydrates from leafy plants and whole grains.

14) It’s OK to be a skeptic. Watch out for products that are labeled as ‘health food’. Always read the nutrition labels and make your own informed opinion.

15) Talk is cheap. Act now and get the job done.

16) Exercise with people that are in better shape than you. This will encourage you to push your limits.

 17) Never indulge in negative self-talk.

18) Don’t drink calories.

 19) Pay attention to everything that you eat.

20) Keep consistent. Exercise at least three or four times each week.

21) Expect more from yourself.

22) Limit High Fructose Corn Syrup. It spikes your blood sugar levels and encourages your body to store fat.

23) Eat plenty of whole plant foods. Vegetables, fruits and whole grains are filled with fiber and antioxidants, great for good health and weight loss.

24) Do your cardiovascular exercise after weight training to encourage more fat burn. Your stored sugars will be depleted during the weight training then your body will rely on fat stores to get you through the cardio workout.

25) Breakfast should be a balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat to get your metabolism going strong.

26) If you know that you deserve better…then go get it.

27) Challenge yourself during each workout. Try something new and exciting.

28) Set specific, measurable goals and track your progr...

You want to be fit. You know how much you should weigh. You know your ideal pant size. You can even picture how great those skinny jeans will look.

So why aren’t you living life in your ideal body?

There are many complex reasons that make weight loss a challenge, reasons that go deeper than simply calories-in versus calories-out.

I’m talking about the life issues that get in the way of your success.

Read the following 5 obstacles and the solutions to unlock your best body ever.

1. You don’t want to be bothered.

It’s in your DNA to avoid pain and seek out pleasure. Unfortunately this works against you when trying to get fit. In your mind, it’s painful (or at least uncomfortable) to deny yourself the tasty food that you crave and to exert yourself with exercise.

There’s a simple way to work around this obstacle: Find something painful about being fat to motivate yourself towards healthy eating and exercise. Focus on the negative impact your current weight has on your health, self-esteem and lifestyle. Convince yourself that the pain of being out of shape is much greater than the discomfort of losing weight.

2. You don’t want to wait for the good stuff.

Just as you wish to avoid pain, you are also an expert in seeking out pleasure – namely food. This served the cavemen well, but these days it ends up as extra pounds around your waist and thighs.

There’s good news: extra calories are not your only option to stimulate the pleasure center of your brain. Find an activity or two that make you smile and indulge in those regularly.

• A walk outside
• A good book
• A night out to the movies or theater
• A spa day

You can also retrain your brain to crave the pleasure of exercise-induced endorphins. Talk about weight gain kryptonite!

3. You are crazy busy.

Let’s face it, you work too much, commit yourself to too much and don’t even get enough sleep most of the time. The fast-paced way you live leaves you exhausted, stressed and hungry for comfort food. You even begin to feel too busy to take care of your health.

It’s time to reprioritize. Let go of your perfectionist standards and remove a few commitments from your schedule so that you are able to cook healthy meals, exercise and get a good night’s sleep. Remind yourself that taking care of your health is not a luxury – it’s a necessity.

4. You don’t deserve it.

I don’t agree with it, but you sure act you don’t deserve to live the good life in the body of your dreams. Take a moment to think back on all the times you have self-sabotaged your weight loss efforts. If you don’t believe deep down that you are worthy then you’ll never give yourself a chance at a fit body.

I believe that you deserve to have a healthy body – and I urge you to dig deep down to uncover why you don’t. Once you conquer you...