{this article was submitted by Kyle Ohman. For a chance to be a guest author click here!}

With social media and all of the different resources right at our fingertips, we tend to live in a world of comparisons.

We see what successful person A or B is doing, and immediately feel like we need to imitate that to be successful in our own lives.

They are working out X amount of hours a day in the gym, following the newest diet, and so on.

We see the success that they are having…

And get all hyped up, and then immediately decide to follow their exact game plan.

It isn’t long though before it isn’t as easy as it seems, and for one reason or another, we fail.

The reason why this happens is that we don’t take the time to sit down and think about what is the best approach for us.

We see what has worked for someone else, and we assume that it will work the same way for us.

Most of the time, though, this is just not true and will set you up for failure.

This failure happens…

Because we all have different body types, schedules, diets, interests, sleep schedules, family responsibilities, and the list goes on.

So, while you can learn a lot from others on how to live a fit and active lifestyle, you must come up with a game plan that is going to fit your life and your needs.

This article is going to provide five keys for finding your active lifestyle and living a better, more fulfilling life.

How to Find Your Perfect Active Lifestyle In The New Year

1. Your Schedule.

One of the most significant factors that will determine your active lifestyle is your schedule.

If you are single, don’t have kids, and have a flexible job, it is going to be pretty easy to find time to be active.

On the flip side, if you have a family, a demanding job, and several other responsibilities, your available time slots for working out, playing sports, etc. begin to diminish.

All of these responsibilities are not an excuse to skip being active; they just mean you have to be a little bit more creative with your time.

You may not have time to go to the gym for an hour-long workout, but you could do some bodyweight exercises at home, play with the kids in the backyard, take the dog for a run, etc.

The busier your schedule, the more you will have to be creative, but it can be done.

2. Your Meal Plan.

We have all seen the commercials and promos for diets or products that guarantee you will lose X amount of pounds. And, while they have had some success, the best game plan is to find a meal plan that works for you. If you want to have an active lifestyle, you need to be fueling for one.

We all know the foods that we should be eating and the stuff that we should cut out of our diets, so start there.

Remove a few of the unhealthier food items that you eat, and replace them with something healthy. Removing chips, unhealthy snacks, and sodas from your life and then replacing them with fruits, veggies, and water, will provide a significant change to your life.

This will help you to slim down and also provide you with the energy that you need to live your best active lifestyle.

Before you know it, all of these small changes will lead to significant changes. It will be the new normal for you to choose a healthier option when it comes to what you want to eat.

3. Your Interests.

It is always easier to find time and motivation for the things that we are already interested in.

This is no different when it comes to living an active lifestyle. If you can find a sport or hobby that you like, you are going to be that much more inclined to want to be active.

Don’t think that you have to be an expert at it either.

If you enjoy playing basketball, running, disc golf, or whatever it may be, challenge yourself to continue to improve at it. You will be so engrossed in doing what you enjoy, that you won’t even be worrying about the physical side of it.

Instead of forcing yourself to run X amount of miles, workout for X amount of time, or whatever it may be, you will look forward to being active. This is where the real growth comes.

As a side note, don’t give up on something just because you don’t like it, or it isn’t easy at first. Going to the gym is a prime example of this.

A lot of beginners will go to the gym, feel overwhelmed, and then give up. I want to challenge you to stick with it and be patient. There are plenty of excellent fitness websites out there, so do some research, make a game plan, and then do your best to execute it in the gym.

After a while, working out at the gym will be second nature to you, and you will be looking forward to it.

4. Your Communities.

One of the best things about sports and being active is all of the quality communities that it opens up. Whether it is an adult kickball league, volleyball tournaments, running group, pickleball group, etc., you will be able to find a great community to connect with.

These communities are not only going to challenge you and inspire you to continue to stay active, but they are also going to allow you to do life with other great, like-minded people.

Instead of dreading working out, you are going to be looking forward to your weekly fitness communities. You will be able to live your best active lifestyle with a group of other people who are also trying to do the same.

And, who knows? Maybe you will find a few close friends to do life with outside of being active as well!

5. Your Goals.

I am sure that you have already recognized the theme of this article in that it is about YOUR needs. Well, it is going to be no different than when it comes to you deciding on YOUR goals.

When it comes to selecting your active lifestyle goals, it is going to be critical that you make them around what is best for you.

Don’t just copy and paste something that you read or viewed online. Sit down and come up with goals that are going to challenge you, but that are also realistic and achievable.

It is also vital that you come up with short term and long term goals. This will allow you to achieve small victories as you pursue the larger ones.

It is also crucial that you write these goals down and then put them somewhere that you are going to see them regularly. It could be on a piece of paper that you leave in front of your mirror, or it could be a notification on your phone.

Whatever it is, find something that works for you, and that is going to motivate you to live your best active lifestyle.

Life is meant to be enjoyed, and it is up to you to take full advantage of it.

One of the ways that you can do this is by finding your active lifestyle. The more you can balance being active with the other responsibilities that you have, the more you are going to be able to enjoy all of the facets of your life.

As you begin to find this balance, you will discover that you have so much extra energy. Instead of continually relying on caffeine spikes to get you through the day, your consistent active lifestyle choices will provide the energy that you need.

Before you know it, you will be living a much more full and balanced life.

So take advantage of these five keys to finding your active lifestyle, and start being the best version of yourself that you can be.

About the Author: This article was written by ListsForAll.com author Kyle Ohman. Kyle enjoys writing about a variety of different topics, but one of his writing passions is fitness and health.

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