Jillian Michaels: Ten ways to get fit for life!

Jillian says: “Most people fail because they make poor goals, generalizations like: “I want to be thinner.” But we need to think about what that will actually look like. Is it being able to wear a bikini on the beach? A meaningful goal you can picture in your head will be lasting source of inspiration.”

“When you start thinking this way, you need to picture the end result of working out. One of the tricks I use is to say: ‘I’ll put in 15 minutes and, if I’m miserable stop.’ Usually, once you’re 15 minutes in, you find the energy to carry on.”

“If your aim is to loose a huge amount of weight, reward yourself along the way. If your goal is to lose 3st, when you get to that treat yourself to a holiday, but if you lose 2lbs in a week, celebrate by downloading five new songs for your workout playlist. Just don’t eat pizza as a reward!”

“If the office canteen always has junk and doughnuts, bring your own snacks to work. Do positive things, too- get your workout clothes ready to go for your morning jog and post inspirational images on your desktop.”

“Trust me, it’s really simple – if you eat too much food, no matter how good for you the food is, you will gain weight. You do have to count calories. And don’t eat processed foods (if there’s a really long list of ingredients and you haven’t heard of most of them, it’s probably processed).”

“Your scales aren’t there to make you judge yourself or be disappointed – they tell you if your current game plan is working. Use the same scaled once a week, on the same day of the week, at the same time, as a compass for your progress. If you’re not losing weight, you’ve got to switch something up.”

“That’s usually the case when people use fad diets or exercise plans. Fad diets damage your metabolism and get you into a cycle of yo-yo dieting. You may loe weight while you’re doing it, as you’re starving your body, but when you start eating normally again, your body holds on to everything and you’ll put weight back on.”

“Let’s say you’ve had dinner, but you find yourself at the fridge before bed. Ask yourself: ‘Do I want sugar or could I eat a steak?’ If you could eat a steak, you’re probably actually hungry. If not, what’s really going on? Call a friend, take a bath- have things to turn to for comfort instead of food.”

“If you’re uncomfortable going to the gym, start with workout DVDs. If you don’t feel good in tight sports clothes, wear loose T-shirt over them. If there’s someone in the gym judging you, it isn’t your problem. Stay positive and focus on your goal.”

“Make activity part of your daily routine. If you take your kids to the park, play hide and seek. If you’re at the office, deliver messages in person. When you’re working out, 20 minutes is enough (try my circuit, below) but the less time you have to work out, the harder you should work! Just do it in the most effective way possible.”