Fitness Influencers' Best Healthy Living Tips

Relying on music for motivation

I listen to my music. I love Motown, old-school music. I walk in with my music in my ears and leave with my music; that keeps me motivated and going. If I forget my music, I'm like, “Oh no, what am I going to do?"

How she mixes it up

When I get burned out I'll hire a trainer or I'll take on new activities. Those have included joining a swim team, playing tennis and training for a marathon. I'm just kind of an adventurous person by spirit. I like trying new things. Roller skating is my new hobby. It's a great workout.

Her best get-started advice

Establish a daily routine that you can stick to. If you haven't been doing anything, start with something not too aggressive, like a 10-minute walk, then slowly add on to it. You'll notice you start looking forward to it.

You also need to make the correlation that exercise is just like brushing your teeth, just like combing your hair — it's something you have to do. Once you start doing it, you will stop fighting it; it will become a normal part of what you do.

What she eats throughout the day

Breakfast: I drink a protein shake or fruit with a little yogurt, granola, nuts or seeds. I try to eat whatever fruit is in season.

Lunch: Simple works for me: salad with greens, kale, arugula, veggies, nuts and maybe some fruit in it. I do think a crunch factor is good, as it helps satisfy you — cucumbers, carrots, radishes, broccoli.

Dinner: I like to have some type of warm vegetables over a salad or rice or couscous, warm cauliflower steak, sweet potatoes.

Nighttime: Popcorn, that's my treat. I drizzle some olive oil on it and sprinkle on sea salt. I air-pop it. I don't have a microwave.

How she indulges, just a little

If I'm out with a girlfriend and she's having something I wouldn't typically eat, like a dessert or fried food, I might indulge in it. I just don't go overboard. I'll also have a cocktail out occasionally.

How age factors into her workout

I spend more time warming up. I also notice that weight training is so critical to hold on to muscle tone. I always knew flexibility was important, but now I realize it even more.

I don't feel the need to be working out at the intensity that I was when I was in my 20s and 30s. Strength training, breaking a sweat and consistency is now key. I'm kind of taking the easier approach because I don't want to cause an injury — even a minor one. If something made me stop, I would just be a wreck.

Influencer: Sara Kooperman, 62, CEO of SCW Fitness Education

Instagram: @sarakooperman

Location: Wilmette, Illinois

Kooperman, a dancer in high school, got serious about working out after gaining weight in college, starting with aerobics and advancing to jogging, skiing, yoga and more. As she tells it, once exercise is part of your life, you'll grow to love it — and motivation will come easily when you get used to feeling better after a workout.

How she starts the day

I wake by 5 or 6 a.m. and drink a big cup of coffee. Then I respond to overnight emails while eating a bowl of Raisin Bran with almond milk. At 7:30 or 8 a.m., most days, I meet a girlfriend for a three-mile walk. Then I do my strength training or yoga back at home and will make myself some scrambled eggs, a fresh orange, toast. I eat whole eggs, not just egg whites. I also have real butter.

Her workout routine

I've transitioned to fitness that satisfies my body where it is now. My cardio is walking; my flexibility training is yoga, and my strength training is a free-weights program set to music. From there, I teach a few fitness classes and always take a class, as well.

I'm also an avid skier. I really have learned to listen to my body, because if you don't, that's when you tear your knees up or your back or you falI. So if I'm tired and I know I'm tired, I'm out of there at 2:30.

Why she loves walking

If I can't find a girlfriend to walk with, I do a phone call with an out-of-town friend or cousin. That's my catch-up time. It's a two-shot: exercise and catching up with friends or family. I also love walking after dinner with my husband.

I used to be obsessed with running and the endorphin high. But now I realize that when I walk, it's easier on the joints; my back doesn't go out like it used to; I don't feel beaten up that night. Instead, I feel good.

What she eats for lunch and dinner

For lunch, salads are my go-to. I'll miss greens and veggies; it might not have protein in there because I've had eggs not too long ago. I see my afternoon snack as a good opportunity to squeeze a piece of fruit into my diet.

For dinner — when, like this summer, I've got two of four [adult] sons home and a husband — we'll have red meat, chicken, pork chops or seafood such as salmon or shrimp. We often have cauliflower rice, and I do a lot with vegetables: asparagus, broccoli with a little butter, also stir-fry vegetables, including zucchini or carrots. Or I'll serve a caprese salad with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.

How she indulges, just a little

I'll put 1/2 cup to a cup of ice cream in the tiniest coffee mug, because a serving size is really pretty small. My guilty pleasure is Homer's raspberry chocolate chip ice cream.

I used to love wine, but I've found as I've aged I get a bad headache. What doesn't give me a headache is scotch.

Influencer: Jean Titus, 53, trainer, speaker and entrepreneur

Instagram: @titusunlimited

Location: Miami

Always a fitness buff, Titus says his inspiration to help others change their lives by getting fit came in 2001, after the death of his mother from cancer. His personal mantra: “We rise by lifting others.”

Why the morning is so important

If you front-load your day with good habits, guess what happens? You've now become consistent, and those good foods and exercise routines become building blocks to a healthy lifestyle.

His own workout

I generally do weight lifting with CrossFit and high-endurance stuff. I don't do much running because of the impact on the joints. I can get the same results with less wear and tear doing a HIIT routine.

On listening to your body

You need days off for recovery; that's one of the biggest things about being in shape that people negate — that rest time you need.

What he eats throughout the day

Breakfast: The first meal is a fruit smoothie, around noon, with a plant-based protein, sea moss and chia seeds. It's a very nutrient-dense smoothie that's easy for the body to break down. The fruit in it gives me energy. It also helps with immunity and detoxification.

Lunch: My next meal is two or three hours after that first noon meal. I typically eat a chicken salad or chicken sandwich or fish and rice. I air-fry, bake or roast the chicken or fish and always eat the skin. A lot of the nutrients and healthy fats for fish or chicken are in the skin.

Dinner: I stick to protein and veggies. Typically that protein is seafood: salmon, sea bass, grouper, snapper, branzini, cod for their omega-3 fatty acids. I prefer veggies that are higher in fiber and nutrients and lower in carbs, such as asparagus, spinach, brussels sprouts, et cetera.

His best get-started advice

It's better to start off small and remain consistent than try to bite off more than you can chew and have to face the disappointment of not being able to sustain the effort. Maybe for you that's drinking more water each day or eating more fruit each day or try taking a daily walk. Then each week add something to what you did the previous week.

How he indulges, just a little

Avoid mixed drinks with a whole bunch of sugar; that's when you start to pick up added calories. Squeeze some fresh lemon or lime instead, and for every drink you have, drink a 12- to 16-ounce glass of water.

Keeping an eye on weight maintenance

When you're younger you're doing more; you require more food because you burn more calories. When people get older and get more settled, they keep the same eating habits, but actually activity is reduced, and that's when weight gain comes up.