Some of our most successful MyFitnessPal users rely on little health “rules” to help them reach their goals faster. Why? Simple rules around eating and exercise can make it easier to stick to healthy choices. To come up with a list of the very best ones, we recently asked on Facebook, “Do you have any health or fitness rules, like always taking the stairs, or no snacking after 8pm?” Here are 20 rules you use daily to make healthy eating and fitness easy.
Food Rules
- “When dining out, I ask for a to-go box when the food gets to the table. I put half in the box before I start eating. Restaurant portions are ridiculously large.” —Theresa S.
- “Treat meals must be planned—no treating on a whim. Sub-rule: it’s a ‘treat,’ not a ‘cheat’—language is important. ‘Cheating’ implies doing something wrong, while ‘treating’ implies an enjoyable exception.” —Amy B.
- “I never drink my calories. It’s water, plain coffee, or green tea.” —Shawnda S.
- “Log everything, whether it will push you over or not.” —Greg C.
- “No diet soda. No fake butter.” —Ida P. W.
- “Don’t eat on the run. Make every meal and snack an event. Then you will have less of them and your body remembers it better.” —Tamara P.
- “No donuts.” —Jean-Nicole B.
- “Always eat your veggies first!” —AnnaBelle M.
Fitness Rules
- “Every time I use the washroom, I do 10 squats in the bathroom, or 10 push-ups on the counter.” —Sara J.
- “Take the farthest parking spot from the building.” —Lily C.
- “Five flights or less, I always take the stairs.” —Cara E.
- “10,000 steps a day.” —Danny O.
- “Start exercise early enough in the morning that by the time you wake up, it is too late to quit.” —Greg S.
- “Tuesdays and Thursdays are run days. Always. Other days as I find time and energy, but no getting out of those two days.” —Wes H.
- “I do squats every morning while drying my hair!” —Anita G. R.
- “When I brush my teeth, I do 50 back kicks on each leg. I get my glute work in and two minutes of brushing at the same time.” —Dyvonne N. E.
Stick-With-It Rules
- “Don’t let a bad food day or an I-skipped-exercising day break your stride. Accept that you had an off day, and get right back on it the next. Weight loss is a marathon not a sprint.” —Steven R.
- “Remind myself this is a lifestyle change, not a ‘diet,’ so make choices that you can live with. And don’t beat yourself up for a bad day.” —Shanon T.
- “Don’t overcomplicate what works.” —Matt T.
- “Don’t Quit! You’re not a Quitter!” —Kathleen M.