By consistently using the following health and fitness tips, I hope I can help you, just a little bit, to keep your health and fitness goals on track. Staying fit and healthy is never easy, but by using these tips we hope you stay responsible for yourself.

We all know that when we set out to regain our health, the path is full of detours and it is easy to get sidetracked. So to stay on track, I recommend some sort of tracking system. I know recording your stats seems tedious, but if you don't know where you've been, how do you know where you're going?

In the past, I used a simple spreadsheet to track my daily weight, exercise routine, and all the food and calories I ate. I've also included charts that use the data entered into the sheets to use as a visual aid to make sure I'm leaning toward my health and fitness goals. You can do this even if you don't have a computer or don't know how to make a spreadsheet. Just use a notebook and graph paper.

It's amazing how a simple chart can reveal habits that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. For example, I found that without fail I would eat healthy meals at my target calorie allocation for 7-10 days and then binge and eat 2 days' worth of calories in one sitting. After discovering this trend, it was easily corrected by slightly increasing my daily calorie intake so that I didn't feel the need to "eat" once a week.

The next health and fitness tip is to set realistic goals and write them down. I think it is very important to put on paper what you want to achieve. You should write your goal in your own handwriting and post it in at least 3 different places so you can see it all day long. This serves as a friendly reminder and will help as a deterrent to neglecting your plan.

When you set your goal, start with a short timeline, achieve that goal, and write the next one for a longer period of time. Your goal should be measurable and achievable. This is when you need to be honest with yourself and set realistic goals, but be careful not to make it too easy on yourself.

The ultimate health and fitness tip is to avoid processed foods like the plague. Someone once said that staying fit is 90% diet and 10% exercise. Think about it for a second. Most people eat 3-4 times a day and when you compare that to the amount of exercise we get, it makes sense. So my advice is to make eating easier on yourself by simply staying away from processed and packaged foods. Instead, opt for healthy foods. Once you get into the habit of preparing your own meals using preferably organic, naturally grown and farmed whole foods, you'll find it won't take long. Eating these types of foods will likely make you eat healthier than you normally do. Keep in mind that portion size is also important. Over time, you wouldn't even crave those bad foods anymore.