Do you want to know the number one secret of really, really fit people?

They all have a daily schedule. All of them.

This is because being fit and healthy is all about planning – failing to plan is planning to fail, and all that.

By having a definitive structure for each day – one that’s designed for maximum health and minimum fuss – you seriously increase your chances of staying on top of things.

I spoke to six different fitness experts to determine exactly what they do every day to keep themselves on the health and fitness bandwagon.

The best thing I discovered? None of them are superhumans – their schedules are achievable for the average person, and super-easy for you to take on in the week ahead.

Here’s who I spoke to:

Kirsty Welsh: Holistic health expert and personal trainer

Bondi Vixen: Personal trainer

Steph Prem: Winter Olympian and owner of fitness studio Premium Performance 

Melinda Ayre: Communications Director of Damien Kelly Fitness 

Jesinta Campbell: TV presenter, model and Miss Universe Australia in 2010

Erika Heynatz: Model, singer, actress  

And here’s what they all had in common…

Exercise

They wake up – and work out – early.

Personal trainer Kirsty says that her most successful clients are all up by 6am, and training in the morning: “You’ve got energy in the morning. And by working out first thing, you get more energy throughout the day. You get this addiction to getting up early and training ‘cos you feel so damn good.”

Can’t motivate yourself to crawl out of bed and do that workout? Kirsty says that you desperately need to change your mindset. “My fittest clients want to be fitter and want to be better. They’re happier in life, because they are the go-getters. They just commit to something and they do it, no matter. Nothing in life comes easy to anyone. Make you and your workouts the priority. Change your mindset. ”

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And don't worry - not every fit person is necessarily an early-morning person. Take, for example, Steph Prem, who only wakes up early because her job requires her to.

"I’m not an early morning person – never have been, even when I was a professional athlete I hated getting up early. I’m a night owl but I’ve had to retain my whole system, mostly by going to bed early," Steph says. "Now I have a morning ritual which I’m religious about. I get up earlier in the morning – at 5:30am - and do a little pilates routine and stretch in my living room on a mat. I follow that up with a hot shower and a glass of warm lemon water. Getting up early is atrocious but I’m such a better person when I do it."

They work out *most* days per week...

Even though PT Bondi Vixen spends most of her time training other people, she still tries to work out six times per week. "I do my soft sand runs mid-morning and that is due to my availability, as it fits in after my morning classes," she says. "I also do a weights circuit in the afternoon, at least 4 times per week. My workout time is my time out… my soft sand runs are my moving meditation and my weights circuit is my stress release."

Steph has a similar arrangement of six days per week: "I pretty much work out every day except for Sunday. If I do anything on a Sunday it’ll be just for fun. I’m on my feet, working out six days a week, so on a Sunday we tend to just sleep in and then maybe go for a walk to the beach."

Even Jesinta Campbell makes sure to work out almost everyday: "I love to run. I combine that with boxing if I start to get bored with running, I love a boxing session. I have a personal trainer that I see a couple of times a week which keeps things interesting as well. And then I've started pilates, which is amazing."

... even if they're mums...

Melinda has two small kids but still makes time for exercise: "I work out at least three times a week, sometimes four. As a mum with two small kids it suits me to train at 9.30am after school drop-off, then I head home to work. If my week is looking crazy and I can't train my usual times, I work out a different option and ensure I still get my three sessions in."

She has a special message for all those mums out there, in fact: "Mums need to let go of the guilt surrounding investing time in themselves, such as their fitness - it's so important to keep healthy and strong."

... but listen to their bodies.

Kirsty is very careful to emphasise that balance is key, and you don't need to do a crazy-hard workout every single day: "I move everyday. But some days, if I’m feeling not so good, if my body is saying no, I’ll just stretch or go for a little walk – I take the day off. I listen to my body. But I always have time planned in to move - even if it’s just rehab work, like stretching or doing some yoga outdoors. Balance is what you strive for.

Food

They eat small meals, often. 

We've heard a lot about small meals - and it turns out there's serious truth to the small-meal theory. Steph, who's always in and out of fitness classes at her studio, confirms: "I start really early and work late into the night so I often eat a lot during the day, four or five small meals. I swear by green juices and bliss balls. They’re my go-tos and I rely on them."

Vix is another who eats throughout the day: "I eat six times a day. I always take a banana, almonds and my very own choc flavoured Vicious Whey Protein shake to the beach for my morning sessions. When I finish my morning slot I eat breakfast and it's a big bowl of natural muesli with yogurt and berries. Lunch is typically after my beach run and that's a tuna wrap. I have another Vicious Whey shake and almonds late afternoon to get me through my evening sessions and then home to something like a chicken omelette for dinner."

They really love muesli. 

Vix isn't the only one with muesli for brekkie. Melinda is also on the bandwagon: "I eat breakfast at 8am, lunch early by 11am and dinner by 7pm. Without fail I have a snack at 3.30pm with the kids. I eat porridge with yoghurt and berries or muesli for breakfast; eggs, tomato, fetta and bacon for lunch/brunch and always protein, vegetables and grains in some combination for dinner."

Seriously, though - fit people PLAN their meals, they balance everything, and they pay attention to portion control.

Erika says it's really not about diets - at all: "I’m not really big on diets so much. For me it’s just all about maintaining balance, fresh clean eating and regular exercise, that’s the kind of an approach that works for me. I use carbohydrates to give me energy to push me through my workouts and hit my fitness goals, but yeah, having a really balanced approach and lots of outdoor activities."

They have treats.

Jesinta Campbell is a big believer of treats, believe it or not: "Treat yourself once a day. I might have maybe a chocolate once a day. People talk about having a treat meal once a week and I think ‘Gosh that’s a long time to wait for a piece of chocolate!’"

Sleep

They meditate. 

Kirsty swears by meditation before going to bed: "We’re all so busy but a lot of people have trouble getting to sleep. Meditiation is so powerful to get control of your mind rather than it controlling you. I can sit for an hour and not have thoughts runnignt hrough my head. Once you’ve got that, you can take that into everything in your whole day."

Erika is also on board the meditation bandwagon: "Meditation is a key ingredient to a sense of mindfulness. I also love what yoga does for your posture and your breathing and your sense of calm."

They go to bed early. 

This is very, very important - because in order to be up early, you also need to go to bed early. You can't be fit and healthy without eight hours of sleep per night.

Bondi Vixen confirms: "I'm up every morning at 5am to get ready for my 6am morning class and I get to bed anywhere from 9:30 to 10:30 pm at night. I'm completely exhausted by 9pm so I like to zone out with some TV before I hit the sack."

Even if you're a night owl - like Steph - she encourages you to retrain your whole system: "I’m a night owl but I have a 10pm rule. Everything also has to be off by 10 – my computer, my phone and everything. That makes me go to bed!"

Do you have anything in common with these super fit people?

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