Understand how addictions can negatively impact your lifestyle choices. There are many forms of addiction that go unrecognized or fly under the radar of conventional thinking, negatively impacting our health. In our stressed-out society, we search for escape from the harsh realities of life. We smoke, drink alcohol, take drugs and overeat. The number one reason people give for not exercising is time, yet the average American watches more than 4 hours of television every day. All of these activities make us fat, lazy and out of shape. They prevent us from obtaining optimal health.

Reduce toxic exposure and stress. The definition of toxic is poison. Sadly, we are surrounded by poisons that damage our health and put our lives at risk. We have been conditioned to believe that small amounts of toxic exposure are safe, but they are not. There are thousands of untested chemical combinations injected into our food and water supply, and there are deadly chemical compounds in our personal hygiene and cleaning products. Stress is the number one toxin, contributing to as much as 80 percent of all disease. Educate yourself about the deadly toxins or watch your health slowly and quietly deteriorate.

Provide proper nutrition to feed your body and your brain. Did you ever try to fill the gas tank in your car with diesel fuel? If you have, you would have found yourself stuck on the side of the road watching your car smoke and sputter because you fed it fuel that was not designed for you car's optimal performance. Everything we eat and drink affects us on a cellular level. Food is the fuel for the body and brain. The type of fuel you choose to consume will determine how your body operates. Most of our food choices are made with our taste buds, driven by the desire to obtain pleasure with little thought about the consequences of our actions. There are many small but still palatable changes you can make to your eating habits that can have a big impact on your health.

Adjust your lifestyle with habits and routines that will enhance your life. Human beings are creatures of habit, and we follow the same patterns and routines every day. Think about what you do every morning when you wake up and every night before you go to bed. It is human nature to fly on autopilot, constantly repeating our actions without thinking about them. You will never be successful achieving your health and fitness goals with fads or quick-fix solutions. Lasting results can only be obtained with lifestyle changes that you can stick with for the rest of your life.