What strategies do you use that make achieving / maintaining optimal health and fitness possible in a busy world?

I look at two things in terms of maintaining any area of my life. Sustainability and variety.

Some people say you should exercise every day but doing the same routine everyday feels like a chore and I get frustrated if I miss a day. Maybe you have a wonderful 90 minute workout but are you really going to be able to make that time everyday.

At the moment, I'm doing a running program and I run every second day. The program is for a short duration 30-45mins and I have different routes to run each time I go. This meets my need for being sustainable and variable.

For any new habit, consider if the actions you take will be sustainable. Maybe in you ideal world you would do 1 hour of meditation, 1 hour of aerobic exercise, 1 hour of juicy vegetable, 1 hour massage, 1 hour listen to self-development CDs, etc..... and just where did work and family time come into that?

Sustainability and variety give you a much higher chance of implementing then sticking to a program for the long haul.

Regards,
Rod
Control Cravings with EFT

I agree with Rod that Sustainability and Variety are big keys!

At the moment I go to group personal training sessions (outdoors) on Tuesday and Friday mornings. I also salsa dance for about 3 hours every Thursday night.

There are a few reasons why it is easy for me to stick to this:
1. I am paying a trainer to hold me accountable, therefore I'm more likely to turn up! Great thing about Step Into Life is that it is affordable. Only $10.80 per session! (Australian only so far, however there may be equivalent services in other countries)
2. There is a big social factor involved for me! I am combining my fitness time with social time! Two of my close friends attend the same PT sessions as me, plus the extra friends I have made! And of course, salsa dancing is a very social activity also.

Do you think mental wellbeing and effectiveness are related to physical health?

Absolutely...mental health is key...coz ya gotta be motivated!
I know that from 15 years working as a PT and aerobics instructor (and yes...I was around in the era of the G-string!)that if they ain't motivated then it's all over red rover!
Achieving health and fitness goals is underpinned by healthy beliefs about how to do that, big enough reasons to do that (meta program move away or towards strategies), healthy beliefs about self image and life.
Working WITH someone to move them towards beliefs that empower them in this area is key!
Cheers
Rebel