It’s safe to say that most people who want to work out more and live better need a few words of encouragement from time to time. Good fitness is essential for a healthy lifestyle; however, it’s often hard to manage when you’re feeling overwhelmed with expectations or else trying to fit it in around a busy schedule.

Here are some great fitness tips to get you started.

Exercise a Little Every Day

Try and spread your exercise habits out throughout the week, and every day if you can. Daily exercise doesn’t have to mean a grueling workout, it just means some form of physical activity every day. Even a daily ten-minute walk can make a huge difference on top of a set workout routine for the week.

Don’t forget: you don’t have to be at the gym or enduring a heavy workout for exercise to count. A twenty-minute walk to the local shop, or taking the stairs everywhere you go, counts as extra exercise.

Try a Fitness Retreat

One place your fitness routine can be neglected is during a vacation. If you’re serious about upping your fitness levels and want to incorporate exercise into your trips away, why not try a fitness retreat? Ultimate Fitness offers a variety of fitness retreats which provide perfect boot camp locations to keep you motivated, as well as enabling you to enjoy some fantastic locations with breathtaking scenery. It’s the perfect paradise getaway while maintaining your health and fitness levels at the same time.

Count Your Calories

It may seem like a gargantuan effort, and if you love your food, counting calories can take the fun out of it.

However, if you’re serious about your fitness then counting calories is a must. Counting calories doesn’t mean harsh dieting or restriction – it simply means understanding your daily intake to make sure that your fitness and calories are balanced out.

For example, if you want to lose weight, you will need to exercise more than the number of calories you take in. If you want to maintain a healthy weight instead of losing weight, you need to ensure that your calorie amount matches the amount of exercise you’re doing – as it’s possible to be doing too much exercise in relation to the amount of food you’re actually eating.

So be sure to check your calories.

Do What You Need to Do to Stay Motivated

This is completely personal to you, but it’s important to take the time to understand what routine has you feeling the most motivated. This could be:

• A particular workout playlist
• Exercising during a time of the day when you feel most productive, such as first thing in the morning instead of when you arrive home after work
• Exercising with other people, whether on a jog with friends or attending a fitness class
• Attending the gym at a certain time of day
• A certain form of exercise which you enjoy and actually want to do rather than one you don’t like