Lifting weights is crucial to staying in shape, but diet is No. 1, said Ryan Wagner, certified nutritionist and manager of Complete Nutrition. Most nutritionists say diet makes up 70 percent of your body image and overall health.

“You can’t ever outwork a bad diet; you can have the craziest workouts in the world; you could have the best genetics in the world, but if you eat crap all day long; you’re never going to get to your true potential,” Wagner said.

Wagner said obesity is becoming a problem at younger ages, and rates are increasing every year. He said 75 percent of Americans are overweight. Proper diet combined with physical activity can prevent this.

“We had a saying back when I was working with the football team; it was prior proper preparation prevents poor performance,” Wagner said.

“Work ethic and motivation are key components to anyone’s workout. If you look at Adrian Peterson, for example, he blew out his knee and came back right away simply because he doesn’t accept it. Everyone can incorporate this type of mindset,” Wagner said.

“I work out because I like to. It’s a stress reliever for me, especially when I was still in school, with tests and things like that,” Wagner said. “Sometimes, go clear your head for a while, hit the gym.”

Although a lot of people prefer the gym, some people do see success with programs like P90X and Insanity, Wagner said. The only issue with these programs is that the individuals are reporting to themselves and holding themselves accountable for completing a workout.

“The exercises Insanity has you go through are extremely tough,” said Mike Hollander, senior in marketing. “I could barely keep posture in some of them because it was having me work areas I have never used before.”

When people follow an at-home workout the way it is meant to be, often times they will see great results, and it can be all done in the comfort of their own household, Wagner said.

Wagner said people are cheating themselves when they pause the videos to take long breaks.

“It’s about believing in yourself,” Wagner said. “Our minds control so much, if you tell yourself, well I’ll never have a six pack, of course you won’t. You just told yourself you won’t.”

On the other hand, when someone tells themselves they will give it their all, they have a much higher chance of meeting their goals, Wagner said.

There’s something out there for everyone. No matter who they are they can stay in shape some way. People underestimate how many calories they can burn while enjoying fun activities. 

If you’re playing something you love like basketball, you’re probably going to be in decent cardio shape, Wagner said.

“For instance, Nelly, he’s always in his music videos — he’s always shirtless; he’s always in great shape — and they always ask him, ‘What do you do to stay fit?’” Wagner said. “He goes, ‘I lift occasionally; I just play a lot of basketball.’”

Maintaining goals and developing a routine are important parts of working out. Students should try to set aside specific time for their workouts so it doesn’t get in the way of their daily rituals, Wagner said.

“It doesn’t have to be a crazy goal,” Wagner said. “It just has to be a goal that means something to you.”