4 Crucial Steps To A New Fitness Program!

January 2, 2010

Its that time again, the holidays have come and gone, The New Year has begun and for almost everybody it seems that means a NEW beginning and refreshed start to personal goals and that includes getting in shape!

It never fails that year after year I see men and women who begin the year with a vigorous attitude and excitement towards a New Years Resolution of finally achieving their weight loss and fitness goals; And it never fails that by March, all those high expectations and desires slip aside once again and more than 90% of those people slide back into their old lifestyle habits and give up on their once ambitious New Years Resolution.

How does this happen? Why do people who have such great aspirations and ambition to make positive changes tend to “fail” over and over again year after year? Is starting an exercise program and getting in shape really that hard that it causes people to give in and quit?

The answer surprisingly is NO! We just make it harder than it needs to be. The truth of the matter is most people do not have a solid game plan to reaching their aggressive goals and they quickly find out the challenge of establishing a weight loss plan is overwhelming and stressful. Who needs the added stress to an already very hectic and busy lifestyle right?

I challenge you this year to instead of cluelessly jumping into a fitness regimen, take time to plan out a realistic and attainable workout regimen.

Follow these FOUR CRUCIAL STEPS so that you can be sure 2010 WILL be the year you make the positive changes in your life and establish a TRUE fitness resolution and FINALLY get the RESULTS you have been wanting.

Step 1 - Interview Yourself - This will be the most crucial step you NEED to take in order to getting started on your journey. You need to be real with yourself and ask the embarrassing and emotional questions that will drive you towards starting TODAY! Questions like, “What do I not like about myself?” “What actions or circumstances caused me to gain this weight?” When you ask yourself questions like this you’ll most likely find out a lot more about yourself than you want to, but thats a GOOD thing. Write down these questions and answers and even the feelings you experience. You’ll want this list to look back on throughout your program to remind you of just why you’re on this new fitness program.

I challenge you to come up with a minimum of 10 questions to ask yourself that will force you to search deep within yourself to seek the truth of why you NEED to get started on your health and fitness regimen today. When your emotional about getting results, you will have the fuel, the FIRE to do what it takes to get the job DONE!

Step 2 - Write down your Goals - You now have the answers of WHY you need to get started but now you need the MOTIVATION, that's where writing your goals down comes into play.

I’m most certain you have heard this before with just about any important goal in life you want to accomplish but there is a reason for that, this method WORKS! When you have your goals written down you can tackle one thing at a time before moving on, plus it will help you stay accountable to your actions each and every day. Review your goals multiple time per day, especially when you find yourself giving yourself excuses not to workout or reaching for that sugar and fat laden desert. When you have your goals written down your much more apt to sticking to your regimen and getting the results you want.

Step 3 - Establish your game plan - Now you have your why’s, you also have your goals, but now what? Is it time to jump on the treadmill and start pounding out 5 miles per day? Not quite. Its time to put it all together and establish a realistic game plan that fits YOU! If you are someone who has never worked out before you cannot expect to train like an athlete. Going into a fitness regimen with an all or nothing attitude is a sure fire recipe for disaster! Start easy and build yourself up. Start by walking a mile 3 days per week and cleaning up your nutrition. Once you have that down and it becomes easy add in weight training and a more strenuous cardiovascular workout like jogging one mile, 3 days per week. Once that becomes easy, jump up to 4 workouts per week, maybe adding in a day of Yoga and so forth and so on.

The idea here is to build up your stamina and strength over time and increase the intensity without burning yourself out. You should also keep a daily journal of your progress so that you can keep track of progress.

It’s a great idea to hire a personal trainer in the beginning and have an all inclusive Health & Fitness Assessment conducted. This will show you your exact starting point and give you direction of what you need to do to reach your goals.

Step 4 - Start Today! - Even if your not sure what the right step is, start with something today, RIGHT NOW! Clean out the kitchen of the junk foods, make your grocery list of healthy food choices. Get out your calendar and mark the days you are COMMITTED to working out and what time you are going to do so. DO NOT CANCEL ANY APPOINTMENTS YOU MAKE WITH YOURSELF!!! Pick up the phone and call your local health club and set up an appointment with a professional trainer. Do what it takes right now to make sure you are COMMITTED to YOURSELF! Did you do any of these things yet? What are you waiting for? THE TIME IS NOW!

So there you have it, the four CRUCIAL steps you need to make sure you stay on track with your New Years Resolution, Health & Fitness Goals. No more failure or excuses because now you are armed to face the challenges and meet set backs head on with the proper tools to be successful. Still, if you find yourself needing extra guidance, motivation or direction, I cannot stress enough the benefits to hiring a professional Certified trainer. Look for Part 2 of this article by January 15th, “How to Find The Right Trainer For You!” I wish you the most success and a very Happy New Year! Make 2010, YOUR YEAR to excel! God Bless and DRIVE ON!

Sean Murphy