9 Habits of People Who Stay Fit

Getting fit is one thing, but staying fit is a whole 'nother ball game. To stay fit, you must continue what you've been doing to get fit and make it a lifestyle change, not just some one time thing and it's done.

Here are 9 habits of people who stay fit:

Eat.. real food. Skip the low-fat/fat-free/sugar-free chemical shit storm and just eat real food-in moderation. With that being said, stay away from prepackaged and processed junk and focus on food with the least amount of ingredients in them-meaning, aim for foods in their most natural state.

Get sleep. Sleep is your body's time to repair and heal-especially as you are working out. Then, you need all the recovery you can get and night time is just the right time for this since the goal is to stay active as much as possible during the day.

Make a plan. If you have a plan, studies show that you are most liekly to succeed.. or at least try. This is true in the case of anything, not just fitness! Set out a specific time to workout, how many minutes to do, and what you will be doing during that time.

Work out at home if you can't get to a gym. If you have cable, it probably comes with a whole slew of secret workout classes you can do on-demand. This is a great option for when you want to be active but don't want to leave your house. You can also use Netflix, YouTube, or purchase a set of workout DVDs.

Drink a gallon of water daily. Water regulates all of your body's processed to function at the best rate possible. Skipping this or skimming, as most people do, will not only affect how you look and feel, but it will affect your workout and recovery as well.

Mix up your routine. Do yoga one day, interval training the next, and a light jog the following day. If your fitness routine doesn't bore you, you're more likely to stick to it. Also, this helps to keep your body guessing! If your body gets used to a certain activity, you may find yourself in a slump. 

Instead of skipping a workout, focus on how great you'll feel after. Working out isn't always fun while you're doing it, but the endorphin high you get after — or the myriad other benefits, like a sound night of sleep — are.

Exercise even if you only have 15 minutes to do it. A short gym routine is better than nothing if you're really strapped for time or just plain exhausted. If you don't have time to get to your gym but have 15 minutes before you have to shower to go meet your friends for dinner, do jumping jacks to Taylor Swift or something. You'll feel better, especially if you spent your day sitting at a computer listening to Taylor Swift andthinking about how you should really leave work in time to get to the gym. (But then, well, didn't.)

Exercise when you're sore. Don't do intense weightlifting by any means, but a light jog or brisk walk as part of an "active recovery" can help alleviate sore muscles more quickly than sitting on your duff doing nothing.