Most women have the idea that to live a healthy, fit life it means eating flavorless food and working out all the time.

The good news is that this is false idea, you’re not stuck living a life of carrot sticks and salads. Following a clean eating diet is full of flavor, if you take just a little bit of time to learn what to do.

You see the thing with food is that we really are what we eat. If you eat crap then you look and feel like crap. That is why so many Americans are suffering from poor health and a terrible body image. DId you know that the average woman will spend 30 years of her life dieting? But this doesn’t have to be the rest of your life, you can easily learn to eat a diet of mostly healthy choices so you never have to waist your life counting calories and stepping on scales.

Here are just a few easy habits that you can immediately implement into your life that can make amazing changes to your health and body:

Toss out the white, simple carbs and bring in whole wheat counterparts. Avoid chemically filled processed foods (if it’s in a box it’s most likely processed). Swap out fruit juice and sugary snacks for real fruit, not from concentrate. Stay hydrated by drinking 2-3 liters of water a day, it will also help drop weight. Eat breakfast! It’s the most important meal of the day. Aim to eat 4-6 small meals throughout the day. Helps keep the hunger pains away and keeps your metabolism on high.

Then there is the fitness part, following a good workout routine is important. It may seem like a chore right now to workout with your busy schedule but if you commit to it it will become a habit and then a hobby.

With exercise, it should definitely include weight training for women even though it’s something most don’t think about. Strength training increases your bone density (fight off osteoporosis), improves your lean muscle mass, revs up your metabolism and helps you drop serious amounts of body fat. Of course cardio exercise is important too: doing intervals or circuit workouts will help blast fat a lot faster than boring steady state workouts where you just run from 45 minutes on a treadmill.

You don’t have to be stickler to these rules. My golden rule is to try and eat clean 90% of the time and give yourself a break the rest of the time to enjoy the foods you know are bad but you love anyways. The same goes with your workout plans, if life gets in the way occasionally, then don’t feel guilty. It might just mean your body needs a rest day. Just don’t go looking for excuses to miss out on workouts, try to workout 3-5 days a week for the best habits.