The longer I write about fitness the more I realize losing weight/carving our healthy living path is, indeed, the easy part.

Sure it’s challenging to get started.

Yes it can be daunting to stay on plan & not veer off onto Slacker Lane or Poptarts Place.

Yet the number of emails I receive from people (fingerquotes) at goal (unFQ) who are panicking because they’re terrified they wont be able to maintain the loss is staggering.

Do I have all the answers? No.

Do I know what worked for me to shed 35ish pounds & keep it at bay for 18+ years? Yes.

• I ate Breakfast. I began my trudge down this path never eating a morning meal, 35 pounds heavier and with zero muscle tone. I started down this path approximately 18 years ago. In 18 years Ive never once skipped breakfast. Ever. ‘Nuff said.

• It was NOT about the vessel. Before I get all it was about the inside! it was about how I felt!! on you allow me to clarify: it was initially about the outside. It was about the fact I couldn’t fit into my interview suits and I was too cheap & poor to procure new ones.  That incentive, however, quickly waned. I realized to sustain my commitment to healthful living I needed more motivation than my snazzy red skirt suit. Which led me to…

• I created a Fitness Mission Statement®. Simply put: this statement captures why I do what I do in the realm of health. Precisely what I’m doing at any given time may change (from karate to kettle bells) but why has remained fairly static over the almost two decades. Make time to sit, think, and write down exactly why you want to lose weight/maintain your weight-loss. Specifics beyond skinny jeans or bikini-season. If you’re stuck perhaps consider how this endeavor impacts all facets of your life and not just what’s in your closet.

• I chose to be healthy. I still do. I wake each morning and recommit to the path I’ve chosen. I take responsibility for decisions I make throughout my day. Sure they’re not always the best (Howdy aforementioned Poptart Place! Greetings Skipped Workout Blvd!) but I accept responsibility, acknowledge, & decide to choose more wisely next time. I know Im never as far from my path as my very next choice.

• I was consistent. I am consistent. I also consistently do less than my body is capable of doing. I started off like a misfit a’fire and quickly overtrained. I fell head-over-heels in love with my emerging muscles and lifted so frequently they grew *smaller* (go me!).  It was then I realized unless I was training to compete I responded better to shorter workouts. Brief, intense sessions leave my body craving MORE the next day—not so wrecked & sore I dreaded exercising again. This consistency, and ZERO FITS & STARTS, has changed my life. More than staying physically fit I’ve avoided the emotional beating starting & stopping healthy living does to us all.

• I recognized I had worth even if nothing changed. I was already enough. I was already UNSTOPPABLE. Whether this translated to treating myself better and helped me stay on my path is debatable, but the fact this realization has permeated & impacted every facet of my life is not. From my world of work to my relationships I *know* I am enough.

There you have it.

The six tips I credit for helping me maintain my loss for 18+ years without a slip or sliiiiiiiide back into old habits.

Ever.

Now you.

Whether you’ve been on your journey for one day or a thousand I’m confident you’ve picked up a trick or three.

• What’s your best tip gained or trick for staying on *your* healthy living path?