It’s been a few weeks now since the start of 2012, maybe you made some New Year’s resolutions, and you’re hitting the weights hard, eating right, doing your cardio, and taking your own steps towards fitness success.
Or did somewhere along the road, you got back in the swing of things at your job, and well, stuff just happened.
Just HOW did you lose that motivation?
Here’s a little phrase I came across, taken from The One Minute Manager
Look at your goals.
Look at your behavior.
Does your behavior match your goals?
As a trainer at a gym and a diet coach, I get to conduct many fitness consultations. There are many instances where I meet with a client, and I know it’s a home run. There are some that I know will take more education, rewarding, coaching, hand-holding, etc., and then there are some that I know will struggle (and maybe fail) to reach their goal.
What sets apart the guys and gals who reach their goals from the ones who just wish about it? I mean, ANYONE can write a goal on a piece of paper or post a picture on the fridge of their favorite fitness model. Writing, posting, and dreaming are easy. Changing behavior is not.
Here’s something I’ve learned from coaching the best of the best. The client that has to fit into that wedding dress by May 28 because she’s going to be the center of attention, in front of all her family, high school, and college friends? SHE’S getting to that goal.
The guy who wants to make a position on his team that requires him to be a certain weight at the start of the season? HE’S getting to that goal.
The girl who’s going on a summer vacation with her know-it-all sister in law that she wants to show up in a bikini? SHE’S getting to that goal.
The company wellness program team with a big financial reward for the most weight loss achieved? THEY’RE going to get that goal.
WHY?
One word: MOTIVATION.
The bride, athlete, summer vacationer, and “biggest loser” type of team members know that the consequences of NOT reaching the goal is motivation enough. NOT fitting in the dress and NOT looking the way she always dreamed of is not acceptable; not making position in the team and possibly losing an athletic scholarship? Unacceptable. Having to hear another condescending word from the mouthy sister-in-law? She’s not going to put up with it. And a financial reward? Money talks.
Whether it’s the carrot or the stick approach these people are using to reach their goal, both are powerful motivators. Yes, deadlines are important. They create an instant time frame within which you MUST reach that goal. But you can have a deadline, and no DRIVE.
That’s why when someone comes to me saying, “I want to lose 25 lbs because I want to fit in my skinny jeans,” I think: HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?
See that guy in the picture? He wanted to see his abs, and he wanted it BAD. He did whatever it took (and it didn’t require pills, nor endless cardio, nor starvation) to achieve his goal. If that meant he had to temporarily give up a daily cocktail to “unwind,” so be it.
Reaching your own goals may take a TEMPORARY tradeoff, a sacrifice, a moment of mental firmness where you say in your head: “I’m going to change my behavior to get to my goal.” If that means for a few weeks you’re giving up your daily caramel machiatto to get there, then that might be what YOU have to do.
Look at your own behavior. Are you doing the things you need to do to reach your goal? What can you do to achieve your goals?
I’ve written here and here about keeping your momentum going while reach your goals. Any good coach loves motivating, and I’m no different. But sometimes you need more than motivation and more of a PUSH (or a kick in the butt). Tips like the ones I offer in the articles, like: keep it realistic, set mini and long-term goals, treat yourself, take breaks, find a partner, etc., are fine when you ALREADY have the motivation to see your goals through.
But for those of you who are still sitting on the fence with your New Year’s resolutions, contemplating if you SHOULD or COULD achieve those goals, ask yourself how you can move away from I SHOULD lose 25 lbs to I COULD lose 25 lbs.
COULD you track your diet for a few days and see exactly how much you’re eating? COULD you go to the gym, sign up for a race, or hire a personal trainer to get in more activity? COULD you change your behavior in the big ways or the little ways even, to work towards what you really want? COULD you work with a diet coach to stay on track and accountable? COULD you announce on Facebook or make it public within your close circle of friends or family that you’re going to fit into a size 34 pair of pants, or a size 4 in 3 months?
Of course you can.
And you WILL, if you want it bad enough.
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