Struggling to maintain your fitness? Jacqui Loftus-Hills caught up with personal trainer and fitness fanatic, Elise Carver to find out how to stay fit for life</p

1. Choose your food wisely

To be fit, you need to work out. To work out effectively, you need energy. And energy comes from food. Of course we all eat – sometimes too much – but usually a change in the output of energy (which occurs when we start working out), means we must counterbalance it by altering the amount of energy we put into our bodies – you need to put in as much energy as you use.

“Depending on how much you are training, your energy intake may as much as double,” PT Elise Carver points out.

For long-lasting fitness you need to make sure you are eating enough of the right type of foods. Carbs, for instance, are what enable you to burn fat. They are the primary source of energy and are what your body will feed on first when exercising. Without them, protein and good fats will be used, diverting them from their primary functions – building muscle and ensuring a healthy neurological system and central nervous system