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by Esta Morenikeji We are all familiar with the Pareto’s 80/20 principle as it relates to business and productivity. But did you know that the same principle is applicable to weight loss and fitness? When flipped over, the application of the 80/20 rule is what makes long-term weight loss s and maintenance possible. How does the 80/20 rule apply to weight loss? It is a known fact that eighty percent of your physical results will come from the food you eat. How you feed eighty percent of the time has the greatest impact on your weight loss success. Living by the 80/20 rule doesn’t mean you have to be rigid with your diet; all you have to do is to eat clean eighty percent on the time, and leave the remaining twenty percent for occasional indulgence. How to apply the 80/20 rules to eating It is not the occasional treats that put us in trouble; it is what we eat on a regular basis. You can’t eat clean eighty percent of the time and not have a lean body. It is okay to indulge occasionally, but your goal should be to stay within the twenty percent mark when it comes to food indulgence. Choose clean foods over unhealthy junks. Eat lean protein like fish, egg white, chicken without skin, lean cut beef, low fat milk and whey protein, instead of fat- laden protein foods. Stir fry, roast, baked, broil or grill your foods instead of deep frying them. Choose healthy snacks like boiled egg, fruits, brown rice cake, plain nuts and seeds, over sausage rolls, doughnut, and other empty calorie foods. Always remember that what you eat eighty percent of the time has the greatest impact on your physical results. Eat homemade foods eighty percent of the time Cooking your food at home gives you total control over what you are putting in your body. The restaurant owner is not your personal cook; she can’t cook her food the ‘waist-friendly’ way you would have loved it to be cooked. Your best choice is to follow the 80/20 rule. Cook your own food at home as often as possible, and eat out occasionally. Food is an important part of the weight loss equal, being in control of what you allow to go into your mouth is a major key to long-term weight loss success.

Applying the 80/20 to exercise How do you apply the 80/20 rule to exercise? Plan to exercise for eight days out of every ten days. Schedule your workout days and treat every schedule like an appointment. Your workout time should be your “Me time”; you have to keep the appointment by showing up. If you only exercise on the days you feel like, you are cheating yourself. Exercise is an integral part of weight loss, to maintain muscle mass-so that your body doesn’t become flabby-you need to incorporate the three major components of fitness-cardio, strength, and flexibility into exercise training. By planning to exercise for eight days out of every ten days you will have enough time to train each component of your body. This arrangement will also allow you to reschedule your workout should any contingency arise. Life happens and schedules change, following the 80/20 rule of weight loss will not only keep you sane when life happens but it will also help fast track your results because unlike some people, you have got the remaining twenty percent covered by living your best eighty percent of the time.