Getting healthier often gets confusing and over- complicated – but it doesn’t need to be. Take small and practical steps towards improving your overall diet, be active throughout the day and get enough sleep, and you’re on the right path to achieving your goals and feeling optimistic about your health and fitness.

As the weather warms up and we creep slowly towards a glorious summer, I have come up with a list of simple steps to slim down and tone up before the warm weather hits. As fun as spending hours in the gym and restrictive diets sound (not), here are some alternatives to get healthier over spring.

1. Manage portion sizes
Despite popular opinion, it is not necessary to remove entire food groups or types of foods from your diet. As the cliché goes, everything in moderation. A more helpful way of looking at it is allowing yourself to eat the foods you enjoy but keeping an eye on the amount you’re eating. For example, it’s fine to have a sweet tooth and enjoy chocolate but ensure you eat a bar rather than a block as a snack. Practise moderation and control by eating portions that satisfy cravings but reduce overall calorie intake.

2. Get your steps in
Yes, another cliché but an important step in the process (see what I did there?). If you have a sedentary job, your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) will be low (just a fancy way of saying how much you move throughout your day when not doing purposeful exercise). It means you will have to make more effort outside of work to get those steps in. This can be simply a 30-minute walk or cycle each day. If you have an active job and happen to wear a Fitbit/exercise tracker, you may notice that you’re hitting 10,000 steps a day with ease – which should be your daily target.

3. Sleep well
Getting enough sleep is hugely important for overall health and recovery. I know this can be difficult when work requires long or unpredictable hours but do your best to plan ahead. If you have an early start, try to get to bed earlier. Instead of watching an hour of TV, you might watch 30 minutes and get to bed half an hour earlier. It may seem insignificant, but it will make a world of difference over time, giving you an extra 3.5 hours of sleep every week.

4. Drink clean
As the barbecues and brews begin to flow, it can be easy to overindulge and drink your calories. This means that instead of getting energy from foods, you’re opting to drink beverages high in calories, such as sugary RTDs, which could put you over your calorie target for the day and, over time, could result in weight gain. I’m not saying that you must abstain from alcohol, but you can make better choices.

For example, make your own vodka soda and avoid the sugary Cokes and mixers found in many pre-mixed drinks. There are always sugar-free options for mixers that can be added to your favourite spirit, as well as a large range of lower-calorie RTDs which have less sugar and junk in them.

5. Balance your meals
As mentioned, it’s not about cutting out certain foods or food groups but about managing portions. When we eat dinner, for example, we should have some protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats to balance the meal. This could look like a piece of steak, a nice salad and a dinner roll. The vegetables should fill up half of the plate, the carbohydrates and protein a quarter each. As a gauge, they say your meat portion should be the size of the palm of your hand.

6. Incorporate fitness into your social calendar
I know this may sound like a drag and not realistic, but hear me out. I’m not saying that every time you catch up with friends, you should go for a 10km run – it just means that you could be mindful about trying to squeeze in something active while socialising. This can be anything from a game of backyard cricket, a walk along the beach, a bush walk or a bike ride. Choose something you enjoy because you will be more likely to want to do it again.