Keeping it consistent

The concept of "ideal health" should be functional, with manageable eating patterns & habits (diet), work outs and, overall, a balanced lifestyle. The first step in making this happen for anyone is that you have to decide to do it, make the choice and make a commitment. Looking at the big picture and ascertaining what "ideal health" means to you as this will be a very individualised and personal thing. Ask yourself the tough questions, why do you really want to change your body.

From there, goals are to be set; small, medium and large. Simple, trivial daily systems all the way to big things that keep you up at night. From there, once there is an idea of the destination, your lifestyle needs to be addressed. A review of your lifestyle can uncover all sorts of things; priorities and values, want to do's vs should do's. This will come down to discipline. Then comes making small changes and habit forming. Simply being aware and "mindful" of your eating habits is enough to make an impact. This is why I shy away from using the term "diet".

Listing the pros and cons and weighing up the benefits of staying on and continuing with your chosen diet; if you find that your chosen eating structure is not sustainable for the long term and won't fit in with your lifestyle then you won't be able to maintain it. By coming to terms with and rethinking the benefits and sustainability of dieting it will help to identify and address any barriers, challenges and emotions that stand in the way, because at the end of the day, we are all driven by emotions on some level; one might say that's what makes us human.

Consistency is the one thing that people overlook. Again, build on habits. Overall, the one thing that people get wrong is that they over complicate this whole "health" thing. Keep it simple. Try and change everything all at once and the whole thing falls apart. Overall slowdown, focus and genuinely effect positive change. Don't allow a perceived failure or minor setback to derail your goals, progress and hard earned results.