With summer quickly approaching, it’s no surprise that people are looking to get fit quick.

Images of bikinis on beaches and shirtless tailgates flash through the minds of millions of people across the nation. People dream of looking into the mirror come summer and seeing their fitness goals achieved.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to live a healthier lifestyle. In fact, we should encourage this. A balanced combination of nutritious food and muscular and cardiovascular exercise has multitudes of benefits for the human body.

I understand this feeling all too well.

Last summer, I was in great shape. I felt more active and energetic than ever before. Basic things like playing backyard tag or going for a sunset jog were not only healthy but fun for me to look forward to in the fresh air.

However, winter brought along some extra eating and comfort foods. I started to feel more lethargic and less enthusiastic.

After this hiatus from healthy eating and fitness, I can see both sides of the coin.

In my opinion as a regular person and not a medical professional, sustainability is very important when it comes to getting in shape.

Size isn’t everything. Healthy can mean enjoying cardio or enjoying lifting, eating more protein than fat or eating more fat than carbs. Healthy can mean different things for different people.

Sustainability, on the other hand, can help us all live a better lifestyle in general instead of falling for rocky diets and fad fitness trends, which can be dangerous for our mental and physical health.

Some easy things we can all do to improve our health include drinking more water, eating more vegetables, and trying to incorporate more movement in our day like walking or biking instead of driving.

These changes might sound cliche, but I think the best ways to live a healthier lifestyle and achieve both aesthetic and fitness goals is to make simple common sense changes that are sustainable in the long term.

With that said, mental health remains a central keystone in an overall healthy lifestyle. This means that getting enough sleep, keeping a positive attitude, and maintaining strong relationships within your community can all contribute to your happiness.

The truth is that summer will come and go. Just like every year, many people will give up on New Year’s resolutions or go back to unhealthy habits right after summer is over.

As a community, we should encourage each other to live healthier lifestyles by focusing on long term, sustainable changes instead.

It isn’t always easy to break bad habits, but health goals are all about challenging ourselves to be the best version of ourselves that we can be.

Here’s to Summer 2018!