Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be challenging. This is especially true if weight loss is a main motivator and results are not achieved in our timeframe (like yesterday). A mindset adjustment and a little professional insight often is all you need.

A fitness session is not a permission slip to indulge in unhealthy foods. It is common to assume a workout burned more calories than it actually did. Before you reward yourself with a sundae, determine the amount of activity required to burn it off. Thirty minutes on the treadmill, albeit with lots of sweat, probably will not negate a dish of ice cream with toppings. Try to determine a food’s exercise equivalent rather than its calorie count. Weight-loss experts suggest this insightful approach to dieting is more successful. You’ll know exactly what is required on the Fitness Floor to “undo the damage.”

Fitness does not have to be an all-or-nothing endeavor. Even if you skip your Step class, you can still go for a short swim or take a walk. Be flexible. Allow yourself some easy workouts. If you spend two days a week doing a Boxing Bootcamp, and the other five behind a desk all day and channel surfing all night, your efforts won’t be very effective. Your confidence and motivation will plummet. Those two high-intensity workouts are challenging and require big effort. You want skinny-jeans results, but may actually gain a pound. Go for consistent workouts throughout the week—even if none are vigorous sessions.