Too many people binge on fitness and never seem to make it a part of their everyday existence. Maybe there have been too many makeover shows on TV, and people have gotten the idea that fitness is an instantly life-changing miracle. They see it as a short-term fix that can be done once, conquered and put to bed. However, fitness is more than a one-time task – it is a lifelong pursuit.

Some people make New Year’s Resolutions at the beginning of the year to eat right, exercise, lose weight and get fitter during the next year. They sign up for gym memberships in droves. The only problem is that when the excitement of the New Year is past, they begin to lose their motivation. When they do not see instantaneous perfection, they decide that they have made a mistake. They figure that they are not going to be able to succeed anyway, so they just quit.

If these people made a decision to adopt a healthier lifestyle and let the benefits of that follow naturally, they would be far better off. Life is a journey and not a destination. In exactly the same way, fitness is not a quick means to an end, but it is an end unto itself. People who are looking for a quick fix through fitness will never see lasting results. They will only see bursts of pain and discomfort and may place great physical stress on their bodies as they over-train and under-nourish themselves.

It is easy to quit everything you like and do excruciating exercises if you know you only have to do the for a very short time. That is probably why so many people start out gung ho on their fitness plans and quit very soon afterwards.

It takes more thought to make a real change. You have to find ways of including the things you like into your plan in such a way that they do not sabotage your fitness. Some fitness coaches suggest having a very small sweet treat one night a week. This allows you to have a food you may feel deprived of, and it is not enough to wreck your diet or keep you from exercising efficiently.

True fitness is something you can keep up with every day, for the rest of your life. Although you may make adjustments for illness, injury or age, you will never quit exercising or eating healthy foods. For every stage of your life, you will work up to the potential of what you can keep accomplishing day after day. You will improve, yes, but you will not need to go to extremes to get fit and healthy. You just need to make fitness an indelible part of your life.