Staying fit is the easy part. Getting fit is the hard part. No matter how unfit you are or how many months you have been off training, it is painful for everyone no matter who you are. Getting past those first few weeks of training and sweating through the pain is a necessary part of getting fit.

Most people start off slowly and run around the park get back to the gym and start a diet. Most people make a great effort to get fit and then easily let it all go. After the confidence is created and all the hard work is done, so many people simply get back to their old ways and forget to do the little work needed to keep the fitness. Keeping fit is relatively easy compared to getting fit. You have to do less than half the work you did in the first place. Once you have created your VO2 max capacity it takes little to keep it there. So why do people fall back into old habits? What are the key signs and how can you avoid it?

The first sign is when your fitness schedule starts slipping down the priority ladder. When you start filling your diary with different things, that's when you have to make sure you have a minimum work out plan to keep your fitness.

The second sign is when you start cutting your fitness sessions short. Most people do this without even realising it. When you first start your sessions your enthusiasm is high and the two hours you have set aside for yourself does not seem long at all. Six months later those 2 hours can seem along time when you have already got the short term results you were after. Keep up the training regime, you will only be cheating yourself and have to do all the hard work all over again.

Lifestyle is the third biggest sign. You will notice when you get fitter you will want to walk to places, enjoy exercise and the way you do your day to day job will change. This usually happens after three months from starting. It is important to observe these changes and realities how your body and life is changing. It is very easy to get lazy and slip into old ways of driving to the shops which are only 200 metres away.

You will also notice how your eating plans or nutrition requirements change. When you get fit you will want to eat lighter foods and healthier foods as the body will require the necessary vitamins and energy. You will be able to tell the difference between over eating and giving your body more work to do than is needed and eating the right amount to give your body the right supplements. It is easy to start eating unhealthy and eat too much, which will result in your desire to keep fit declining.

Above are some basic signs as to when you have to focus on your main desire to get fit and keep discipline. It is very common that once you have achieved the initial results of feeling fitter and loosing some body fat to slip into old ways and undo all the good work you have done, only to leave you with all the hard work to do all over again. Remember to observe yourself.