Five ways to stay on top of your diet

If there's one thing we always hear it's that lads can't seem to stick to their diets. So that's why we're bringing you five ways to make sure you stay on top of things.

Choosing the right diet and fitness plan can be challenging work in itself. However, sticking to said diet and fitness plan is often a lot harder then you might think. So here are JOE’s five tips on staying on top of your diet.

Sign yourself up for a long distance race

Signing yourself up for a long distance race is a great way of giving you that extra motivation for staying fit and in shape – just once you don’t sign up a week in advance. You won’t want to be the last guy crawling across the finish line, or worse yet, crawling out of the broom wagon sent to pick up the stragglers, so you’ll be sure to keep a good training regimen. Whether you choose to do a 10km run, a 50km cycle or a 100km rollerblade (we’re sure there’s someone out there), it’s all good motivation to keep you on top of things.

Make things interesting… with money

Our second tip works really well with our fist tip, as you’re more than likely going to stick to something if there’s money involved. Why not sign up to a long distance run or cycle with someone you work with or a friend of a friend and place a little wager on it. The problem is that if you sign up with a good mate chances are they wont pay you, or visa versa. Plus if you’re not too fond of the person in the first place, all the more reason to kick their ass and take their hard-earned cash.

Make sure you have your music

Don’t get caught having to listen to your gym’s crappy disco pop. Instead create a CD or playlist with music that you know gets your heat racing. Music with a heavy side is generally good for getting the blood pumping – a song like Blur’s Song no.2 should do the trick. If you find the right collection of music it'll help make the workout seem shorter, making it not as daunting of a task.

Author Charles Emery noted that music helps the brain to function well during exercise allowing you to focus and push through the pain barrier. So there's that too.

Get her to rate you

Getting your missus to rate your appearance may be a tad hard (or way too easy), so why not tease her into the idea? You might be quick off the mark to tell her that she’s not looking the may-west but she probably doesn’t want to hurt you. So why not make a list of the areas of your body which you think needs a bit of work. Then, give her the list and ask her to rate those body areas from 1 to 10 on how much she likes and dislikes them. This will let you know where she thinks needs a bit of work.

Don’t just train, play too

One great way to make sure you stick to your diet and stay in shape is to play the sport your training in. If you like to jump up on the ergo-bicycles at the gym then why not buy a cheap racer and join a club? Or if you kick a ball around with the lads on your lunch break then why not set up a 5-a-side team? You’ll all get fitter and it’ll give you something to talk about with the lads.