SHAPING UP: Four simple ways to start you off on your journey to a fitter lifestyle

If you make too many changes to your life at once it’s likely you won’t stick to it!

Here’s four simple, positive ways to improve your health and fitness:

Be Active At Least Three Times A Week.

It doesn’t have to be intense. You don’t need to go to a big crowded and intimidating gym or run for miles and miles. Just take it easy and build it up slowly.

If, right now, your fitness levels are low and you’re not very active, going on a 25-minute pacey walk, three times a week is a massive improvement to the week before!

The type of exercise doesn’t matter either, just make sure you enjoy it!

Make Healthier Food Choices.

Counting macros and counting calories can put a lot of people off before they even start.

So, to start with, just focus on making healthier choices.

Swap out high-calorie foods for calorie-dense foods that will fill you up, and try to be more mindful of what you’re eating.

For example, you could swap a 1100 calorie tub of Ben & Jerry’s for a tub of frozen yogurt at 400 calories.

You’re still going to treat your sweet tooth but without consuming so many calories.

Once you have the hang of that, you can take it to the next step.

Focus On Your Sleep.

Quality of sleep can really affect your health.

If you have a bad sleep, you wake up with no energy and you’re more likely to be stressed.

It can also have an effect on your eating habits.

If you feel tired and lethargic at the end of the day you’re more likely to pick up a take away or a quick microwave meal.

However, if you’ve had a good sleep and have high energy levels, you’re going to feel so much more in control.

Drink At Least Two Litres Of Water A Day.

When you’re hydrated you’ll experience lots of health benefits; healthier skin, healthier teeth and bones, healthier joints, improved digestion, reduces fatigue, suppresses appetite, and it increases your ability to burn fat.

Start drinking water as soon as you wake up on a morning - have a glass with your breakfast.

Then keeping sipping throughout the day. You need to have a minimum of two litres of water per day.My advice is to fill up a two-litre bottle on a morning and make sure it's gone by the end of the day.

And, replace your normal cups of tea and coffee for three cups of green tea per day.

If you’re consistent with these simple and positive four tasks then you’ll see improvements to your health and fitness within just a few weeks.

NHS experts say: It's not a good idea to be either underweight or overweight.

Being overweight can lead to health conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes.

At the same time, being underweight could also affect your health.

If you're worried about your weight, ask your GP or a dietitian for advice. But if you think you just need to lose a little weight, the main things to remember are:

• only eat as much food as you need;

• make healthy choices - it's a good idea to choose low-fat and low-sugar varieties, eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and wholegrain;

• get more active.

It's also important to eat a variety of types of food so you get all the nutrients your body needs.

Physical activity is a good way of using up extra calories, and helps control our weight.

Try to get active every day and build up the amount you do.