Clients often ask me what is the most effective way for a working professional to maintain a healthy lifestyle, whilst battling against their busy work and social calendars. I sympathise with them and the hectic city lifestyles they take on. However, with just a little direction and personal motivation it can be done.

So, here is some advice for those living that fast paced, urban lifestyle, and some useful tips on how to maintain performance at an optimum level, both mentally and physically.

It’s very simple, use the body as nature intended, and think about all aspects of your health at once. People can be overwhelmed when trying to remember all the different aspects of health and nutrition, but they don’t need to be. The most important point is to try and be holistic in your approach.

A holistic approach realises the inter-relationship between the mind and body and how we treat one will affect the other. It refers to the notion that the human body is greater than the sum of its parts. By looking after the body correctly on a physical level, we give the mind a good platform to work from and in turn the spirit as well.

A good analogy I use is to not let your body run on four star – go for five star fuel and your performance will be markedly improved. Remember all the fuels your body reacts to, food and drink, exercise, sleep and lifestyle. Whether it’s eating fresh organic produce, sometimes getting to bed before 10.30, or just doing more of the things that help you relax, you must look for the areas you know you can improve on.

When you’re ready to do something to help your body, make sure you do it right. It does not make you ‘more healthy’ if you go for a long run, but then come home and eat junk just before you go to bed.

Think about the timings of your meals, as this can be just as important as what you eat. For example, try to eat something in the 15-minute window after exercise – maybe a banana or cereal bar. This will keep your blood sugar up until you eat a proper meal an hour or so later. Then make sure you leave about two hours for food to digest before you go to bed. The neuroendocrine system controls the chemicals in your brain, which determine how you feel, and it will let you know when you make mistakes.

Whilst we are on the topic of food, there has been plenty in the press about the relationship between food and obesity. However, obesity is not just about eating right. Stress, poor quality sleep and sitting in a chair for over 45 hours a week can contribute to weight gain as well.

Our bodies are designed to be active. Every day we should try to do something and ‘little and often’ is a very healthy way to exercise. Two crazy gym sessions a week followed by nothing but sitting around is not helpful for your body’s systems or your moods. If you are office based, getting up from your computer every hour, walking, using the stairs or doing a ten-minute stretch in the morning is very beneficial.

Making exercise accessible and fun is an important part of your approach. So how do we do this? Find types of exercise that you enjoy (or can bear) and keep all your sessions varied. A trainer I know once said, ‘The best work-out is the one you haven’t done yet’. This stresses the importance of variation. Why not schedule when you’re going to do your exercise each week, and perhaps put it in the diary every Monday morning?

OK, so British cities are not amazing places for an outdoor lifestyle, but this just means you have to be extra disciplined with your healthy routines, to stay on top. There is increasing public awareness of all things healthy, which makes it easier for anyone moving in this direction. An increasing number of people are realising the need for exercising, eating and living in the ways that nature intended. If in doubt, keep it natural, walk don’t take the bus, choose food with as little additives as possible.

This will help with what we all want - to feel and look good. The body is an amazing combination of many systems working in harmony and it is important to realise that these are effected by not only what we eat but also how we exercise, how we sleep and what lifestyle we take on. And those that can be disciplined enough to look after each of these simultaneously will notice great health benefits. It may seem like hard work to think about all these factors but it’s not as hard as enduring the mental and physical degeneration you’ll have if you don’t. Think about how you can improve your overall wellbeing and start implementing changes today.