Path to Success

We are into our third month of 2017 and most of the people that have made New Year's resolutions, have given up on them.  Of the people that make resolutions, only 8% actually follow through with them and reach their goals.  This is an alarming stat for people who want to change their bodies.  This will turn into a vicious cycle for the rest of your life if you make a goal and continue to fail on it each year.  There are a few things that will help you in reaching your goals and are listed below:

Simple - Make sure your goal not too complex.  If you have a more complex goal, that is fine, but make sure you have sub-goals off the larger one.  Think of it as steps to get to the second floor.  It is much harder to reach the second floor if you do not go up each step first.  Think about weight loss the same way.  If you want to lose 30 pounds, how are you going to do that?  The weight does not just fall off, you have to take steps burn the calories.

Realistic - Is your goal something you can really achieve?  Do you have the time in your day to eat correct and get enough exercise to lose that 30 pounds? Can you resist the cupcakes enough to drop the weight?  Can you keep your stress levels low enough to keep your hormones in check?  If you answer no to these questions, then maybe your goal is out of reach a bit.  Adjust it to something that can be achieved like, "I will workout for 30 minutes 3 days of the week."  This is a simple and realistic goal that can easily be achieved.

Measurable - Can your goal be measured?  Obviously goals that can be measure objectively will be easier to track.  Losing pounds of body fat can easily be measured with a BIA device and is easy to track.  Now if you do not measure it this way, the scale will only tell you what gravity is pulling down on in you body.  Gravity does not care if the  weight is water, fat muscle or the burrito you just ate.  It is all pounds.  With a BIA though, you can measure water, fat and muscle all separately.  

Timetable - Give yourself a timetable to reach you goal.  By setting a schedule and a date, you can set increments with your measurable goals.  If you set a 30 pound weight loss, you must first get to 5 pounds gone. Then you can focus on the next 5 pounds and so forth.  

All of these tips will help you in reaching any goal in your fitness journey and in life.  Use them to your advantage and reach the body and fitness level you desire!