Health and fitness with Mikey Moon: One piece of advice to ignore

You don’t have to suffer to get in shape, even if there’s an age-old saying of ‘no pain, no gain’.

For years we’ve always thought of getting in shape as something that is supposed to hurt or be miserable.

Diets must be working because you’re so hungry or workouts must be amazing because you’re sore for three days afterwards.

Alternatively, you think it hasn’t been a great workout because you aren’t out of breath or sweating.

This needs to get in the bin because dieting does not have to be hard.

It doesn’t mean you need to strip away everything that resembles fun in order to lose weight.

You don’t have to take away your favourite things, you just need to reduce some things to make your energy balance better.

You can still eat what you want but within reason. It’s time we reprogrammed what we thought about nutrition and exercise to look at things differently.

Just because you are on a diet does not mean you have to suffer.

Take away things little by little, leaving in things you enjoy, and start to develop a lifestyle.

You might have to diet for holidays or events but, if you focus on being healthier, then you’ll never really have to worry again.

If you can’t take something out of your diet for life, don’t take it out at all: just do it in moderation.

Fortitude Fitness is on the Poulton Industrial Estate, Beacon Road. Visit www.fortitudefit.co.uk for more details.