Now and again I post meals that are very calorie dense. And people ask how I manage to stay lean all year round. The truth is, a salad doesn’t make you ripped and a takeaway won’t make you fat. You just need to control your energy balance.

And that energy balance boils down to calories consumed vs calories expended. It’s a bit like saving money and spending money. It’s a great way to approach your fitness goals, while still being able to have a life and enjoy your food and drink too.

Over the years I’ve learned and formed some habits that help me keep a balanced lifestyle:

I usually hit at least 10,000 steps per day. And try and hit more to be honest. Not only does this help to burn a lot of calories throughout the day, but it also helps you feel good. A walk and some fresh air really helps to clear the mind.

Then I look at my calories consumed. I use the fitness tracker MyFitnessPal or the food tracker on the MyZenith App to log my food and keep me accountable. After years of practice, I can now pretty much eyeball a meal and calculate how many calories will be in that meal. Yes I know that is very sad haha. But it’s become second nature.Be sensible with your intake. If you are going out for a meal in the evening, just try and compensate for that throughout the day to allow yourself some more calories for the evening. You can even start compensating the day before. Save those calories!

Some drinks can contain a lot of calories. My opinion….Don’t waste your calories on high calorie drinks. Be aware that drinks such as orange juice can have a lot of calories and sugar. Save your calories for more nutrient dense foods.

Add volume to your meals. Fill up your plate with lots of vegetables. They are full of fibre to help you feel full, and are low in calories. It’s a good way to fill up your stomach without adding too many calories to your diet..

When you train, lift weights. Don’t just do cardio. As you burn body fat you will start to reveal your muscle. If you don’t lift weights you won’t have any muscle to reveal. And you’ll end up looking ‘skinny’ and not lean. Use resistance to help build and maintain lean muscle, to help you keep a lean physique.

Now this has taken years of practice to get to a place where I am fairly happy with my training and diet and social life. But if you feel you need any help, sign up to one of the Zenith Fit programs at.www.zenithfit.co.uk and I’ll help to teach you how to live a sustainable, enjoyable lifestyle.