- By Danielle Rogers, Owner of Fitness Fusion in Bristol, RI 

I promise you this, long-term health and fitness are not and never will be found in a pill or a shake! After over a decade of personal training hundreds of clients and teaching numerous students in group exercise classes, I can tell you that there is a one difference I notice between those who succeed at finding their happy place and those who continuously ride the diet fad rollercoaster. The difference is a long-term commitment to a real lifestyle change in eating habits.

It always starts like this, “So…I was reading a magazine article about this new Moroccan Dessert Cleanse I was thinking of trying.” There’s a long pause from me and I try, really hard to hide my contempt for these crazy, over-the-top diet trends; but for those who know me they see right through the smile and know exactly what I really think. I do not buy into and never will believe in any quick fix, shake, pill, belt wrap, weight loss lotion, baby food diet, cleanse, or eye cream that helps you melt fat and inches off your body and will change your life forever! Not gonna’ happen. Or I should say it’s going to happen for about a hot minute and then in 6-8 weeks time the magic spell goes POOF and every pound has reappeared plus the extra 5 pounds the body was craving post-starvation mode. 

Just eat real food! When you go to reach for a snack or prepare dinner think to yourself, “What nutrients does this item have to help my body thrive? How is this food choice going to help me get through my day or even take away from it?”

For clients who are seriously struggling with their eating, I suggest meeting with a good registered dietitian who can start changing your habits and provide you with new habits that lead to lasting change. It’s not to say that protein shakes and supplements aren’t a good addition to an already healthy mode of eating, it just can’t be the be all and end all. Adding a whey protein shake and some vitamins to a diet doesn’t undo the damage caused by overeating at night, skipping meals, and not understanding how to meal plan for the rest of your week. 

Take all of the time and money you have spent over the years on fads and gimmicks and start spending that time on meal planning. Pick one of your days off and spend 30 minutes mapping out your game plan for the week. Start looking online at the thousands of lifestyle blogs like Skinnytaste.com or Real Simple and get creative with your food choices and ingredients for the week. Need some really good ideas on a budget? Check out a meal planning website like www.thefresh20.com. These sites plan out your menus for the week and provide you with shopping lists of fresh food you can buy at the grocery store. Talk about no excuses!

Where there’s a will to change, there’s a real way to create healthy habits and long- term change that will help you find your happy place when it comes to your health and fitness goals.

​Danielle Rogers is the owner of Fitness Fusion in Bristol, RI.  She jumped into the fitness industry while attending Boston University twelve years ago and is certified through A.F.A.A (American Fitness Association of America) and NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine). While developing her skills as a teacher and trainer, Danielle chose to fuse her strength training background with the flexibility of yoga and the stability of Pilates. Danielle became STOTT PILATES ® certified and YogaFit-1® trained, and truly enjoys motivating clients and students to achieve their personal goals through exercise. She is inspired by the power of fitness, and its ability to transform a person’s life both physically, mentally, and spiritually.