The Keys to Staying Fit Without Dieting

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You are bombarded by images of thin, perfectly toned bodies every day. They appear in endless commercials on TV, flaunt themselves on dozens of magazine covers, show up on billboards and grace the sides of buses. There seems to be no escaping the ceaseless parade of human perfection around every corner.

There is some comfort to be had in the fact that most of those images involve models who adhere to strict diet and workout regimes and take their pictures under professional lighting. Those already gorgeous images are then, of course, run through photoshop and edited within an inch of their life. None of it is real, so you can move on with your life.

There is that one friend, however, that makes you grind your teeth in envy. They are not the models in advertisements, but your friend is thin and toned without ever going on a diet. It is maddening. How on earth do they do it?

Some people win the genetic lottery when it comes to effortless beauty, but most people need to work at it. Thankfully, looking fit does not need to involve serious dieting. It actually does not need to involve dieting at all if you follow these basic suggestions for staying healthy.

Watch What You Drink

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When it comes to staying fit without dieting, what you drink is as important as what you eat. Soft drinks, such as soda, are packed with sugar. This means that they are packed with calories and often surprisingly high in fat. In fact, some sodas are higher in calories than alcoholic beverages and can have as many calories as a piece of cake. As such, your healthy lunch will do you no good if you wash it down with some soda.

If you are looking to stay fit and stay off a diet, you should be wary of energy drinks and sports drinks as well as sodas. Both energy drinks and sports drinks are often, like soda, high in sugar. If you are desperate for a flavored drink, juice is better than processed drinks, but even then, you need to keep it to a minimum. Fruit and vegetable juices tend to be high sugar as well.

Water is your best bet when you want to stay fit. Plain water has no calories and will keep your body in the best condition. Water helps you feel energized and keeps headaches, muscle aches, cramps and dry eyes at bay. It can also keep you from feeling hungry.

If you are someone who simply cannot stand the idea of drinking plain water, drink herbal tea. The calorie count is extremely low and many of the herbs used have advantageous properties. Avoid the coffee, however, unless you drink it black. A latte with two shots of syrup may as well be a dessert.

Get Enough Sleep

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Sleep affects absolutely every part of your body. If you skip out on sleep you are doing more than simply shooting yourself in the foot. You are hacking off the better part of your leg and then trying to run a marathon. Sleep affects your ability to focus, to heal and recover from the everyday wear and tear on your body, your immune system and cleanses both naturally occurring and externally consumed toxins from your brain. Cutting back on sleep will also keep you from being able to stay as fit as you would like.

When you do not get enough sleep, you tend to be hungrier during the day. Food gives you energy, something your body is desperate for when you skip out on your nightly z’s. Refusing to get enough sleep also means you are more prone to make poor choices when you eat. It takes willpower to turn down those donuts or get one scoop of ice cream instead of two. When you skip out on sleep, the motivation and will to make good choices goes out the window.

Fit Movement in Your Life

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Staying fit without dieting is always easier if you are a gym rat. It is perfectly possible to stay thin without spending hours working out. The key is to find ways to fit movement into your everyday life. When you go to the grocery store, park in the farthest parking space from the door. Walk from one store to the other when you go to a shopping center instead of driving from place to place. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. These are simple ways to fit small amounts of movement into your daily life.

Minor amounts of movement are perfectly fine if your only goal is to stay thin. If you want to keep your entire body healthy and fit, however, you do need to exercise. You do not have to suddenly pack on muscle or run marathons, but you do need to get your heart rate up a few times a week. A brisk walk is often enough to accomplish this.

Only Eat What You Really Want

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When most people think of eating to stay fit, they think of avoiding certain foods. They think of diets that are based entirely on cutting carbs out of a person’s diet. They think of fitness advice that claims a person should never eat anything remotely processed. They think of sugar and sweets as the ultimate enemy. If you want to be fit without dieting, these conventions are all only somewhat true. Yes, carbohydrates such as pasta and rice tend to be high in calories per serving. Yes, processed foods tend to be high in fat, and yes, sugar is not going to help you much if your goal is to stay thin without dieting. You do not have to spend the rest of your life, however, without ever going to an Italian restaurant again or eating a piece of cake.

To stay fit without dieting, only eat what you really, truly want. If you are not absolutely craving chocolate, pass on the candy bar. If you are not dying for a glass of wine, drink water at the restaurant instead. Only eat things that are bad for your waistline when you are truly craving them. If you crave them all the time, obviously you cannot indulge every day. It is usually better to eat what you want and be done rather than eat everything else in the house in a desperate attempt to sate the craving without giving in to it.

Eating only what you want works with portions as well as desserts. When you are not hungry anymore, stop eating instead of forcing yourself to clean your plate. Leftovers are your friends. If you only eat what you want, your waistline will thank you, and you will get to eat that delicious meal a second time.