Helpful advice from eight high-profile fitness enthusiasts: I really like some of these suggestions compiled by Cary Castagna

It’s mid-January and chances are you’ve already broken your New Year’s health and fitness resolutions – if you made any.
I feel your pain. My resolution to eat healthier was crushed on the afternoon of Jan. 2 with a sugary binge. Curse those Cadbury Mini Eggs! Sigh.
Well, there’s no sense in waiting until Jan. 1, 2009 to start over. We’ve got to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get back at it immediately.
I’m no expert myself. But luckily, I’ve managed to glean countless words of wisdom over the past few years while interviewing health-conscious subjects for this column.
Here’s a compilation of some of the best advice from eight high-profile fitness enthusiasts. Just call it the top eight for ’08.
BE CONSISTENT
For WWE wrestler and movie star John Cena, it’s all about being consistent in the gym.
“A lot of people get focused for a month or two months and then just screw off. And then they wonder why they don’t get results,” he tells me.
“I’ve been training since I was 13, straight up. I don’t miss. You know what I’m saying? I’ve been lucky enough to get results. At the same time, I bust ass. And I can tell anybody out there that if they get in the gym (on a consistent basis) … they’re going to see results. I don’t care what program or what diet they’re doing.”
Cena, who weighs a chiselled 240 pounds at six-foot-one, says it helps to do something you enjoy.
“If you don’t like being in a gym, find something else to do. Walk, run, play hoops, do something, but stay active because it adds years to your life.”
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Although she could afford the fanciest workout machines with her sky-high earnings on the LPGA Tour, reigning queen of golf Lorena Ochoa prefers a basic workout regimen that includes explosive-type barbell and dumbbell exercises for high reps with a moderate amount of weight.
“I don’t need anything fancy,” explains the 26-year-old, who also performs basic ab and stretching exercises.
DON’T MAKE EXCUSES
Fashion magnate Peter Nygard is a busy man, but he always makes time for his workouts
“My body craves it,” he says. “I feel guilty if I don’t do it.”
The founder and chairman of Nygard International, one of the largest women’s clothing manufacturers and suppliers in the world, set up a company tennis club for his employees.
“I play every Wednesday,” he says. “I’m always there. Some of the other people find an excuse – they’re too busy. I never use that excuse, even though I’m the busiest.”
MIX IT UP
Edmonton model Leanne Lemire doesn’t let her fitness routine get stale.
“I try to change it up. I get bored otherwise,” she says, explaining she also likes to routinely vary her training sessions to ensure that her five-foot-four, 113-pound body never gets acclimatized to a particular workout.
START YOUR DAY RIGHT
Rock icon Randy Bachman, who dropped 145 pounds several years ago, likes to kick-start his metabolism with some cardio first thing in the morning.
The 64-year-old Guess Who veteran and founder of Bachman Turner Overdrive (BTO) typically begins his day at 7 a.m. with a 90-minute ride on an exercise bike.
“That burns off anything your body has stored,” he says.
TRY THE TREADMILL
Alberta Health Minister Dave Hancock, who has shed more than 75 pounds over the past year, says there’s no denying that the treadmill is the king of the cardio equipment.
“Once you turn it on, it goes and you have to go with it. All the other machines, you have to make them work,” he says with a laugh. “With the treadmill, you have to make a conscious decision to stop.”
SCHEDULE A BREAK
It’s not advisable to work out seven days a week. Nor is it wise to perform intense physical activity over a prolonged period of time without some scheduled rest and relaxation.
Pittsburgh Penguins tough guy Georges Laraque usually gives his rundown body about three weeks to recuperate in the offseason.
“Once the season is over, you have to take a break,” says the former Oiler.
KNOW WHAT YOU’RE EATING
Environmentalist David Suzuki, 71, opts for mostly organic foods and locally grown fruits and veggies when they’re in season.
“People have to realize that their health is directly related to what they put in their body,” the buff senior citizen explains.
“It’s not enough to say, ‘How much is it?’ You’ve got to ask, ‘Where did it come from? Is it organic? What chemicals are in it?’ You’ve got to make decisions on an informed basis.”
All good advice indeed.
And remember, keeping fit – much like life itself – is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy the journey.