Weight Loss Success: Three Steps to Lasting New Year’s Resolutions
But there’s one problem. In fact, I see it every year at the gyms. For the first two weeks, people ride that “New Year’s Wave.” They go to the gym everyday and make sure to implement a strict diet…for the first two weeks.
After those two weeks the gyms become empty and only the regulars show up. What happened to all of these gung-ho people? Why did they burn out after only two weeks?
The answer is simple, yet often overlooked. The fact is that changing your body is not only a physical process. It’s a mental process—and then some. But people consider getting in shape physical because we’re trying to make physical changes to the body; however, if we dig a little deeper we would realize that changing our body involves changing our lifestyle—our habits—which is very difficult.
Humans are programmed to seek comfort. We like routines. It’s easy. Changing our habits creates uncertainty, discomfort, and unfamiliarity. It’s hard and requires a strong mental foundation to create lasting motivation. But how do we build this foundation? What tools and techniques work? How do we start?
I like to think of the process in the form of a pyramid. We must work our way from the bottom (a large, general foundation) to the top (a very specific point—in this case fitness). By working hard to develop a large base or foundation, we can climb to the top without worrying about falling.
The Base – Our Purpose
The base or foundation of our pyramid comes from defining our purpose. More simply put, “Why are your reasons for changing your life?” Why do you want to get in shape? After all, running, weight training, eating healthy; it’s not easy. In fact, it can be downright painful at times, so why do you want to put yourself through this?
Most people that create New Year’s Resolutions have no idea why they want to get in shape. I guess it’s just a trendy thing to do nowadays.
The more emotionally connected you are with your purpose, the faster you will develop a lasting motivation. For example, if your purpose is to look good, you might give up after two weeks because you don’t see immediate results; however, if your purpose is to lower your blood pressure so you can be alive for your children, you’re going to work a little harder to reach your goals.
Whatever your purpose is, you need to have one. Every time you feel a lack of motivation to get to the gym or start a workout, look at your purpose and remind yourself why it’s so important to keep moving forward.
Level 1 – Setting Goals
I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but have you actually created goals—and written them down?
Lately, “The Secret” and the Law of Attraction have become very popular. Well, if you think about it, you’re writing down what you want and consciously focusing on those desires. Hmm, that kind of sounds like creating goals to me.
I think the problem most people run into is the actual goals they set. You see, goals must meet certain criteria in order to be helpful, otherwise you’re just going to get disappointed and give up. Below, I give five specific guidelines for creating goals—AND WRITING THEM DOWN.
1. Goals need to be specific and measurable: Creating a general goal such as, “I want to lose weight,” won’t cut it. Instead, phrase the goal as, “I will weigh X pounds.” Here a specific weight target has been set, and we can measure it quite easily. When your goal is specific and measurable, you can track your progress and determine if you’re on the right path. In addition, specific goals allow you to identify exactly what must be done to succeed. It makes you accountable.
2. Goals must have a deadline: The above goal is not complete yet. “I will weigh X pounds in the next two months,” solidifies your goal. Deadlines are important because humans respond better under pressure and, if your goal has a certain timeframe, there’s pressure to get it done. People procrastinate. Setting a deadline helps ensure completion of our goals.
3. Goals must be positive: Notice the goal isn’t about losing weight; it’s about weighing a certain amount. Psychologically, we don’t want to lose or give up things because losing has a negative connotation. When we use a positive voice in creating goals, we accomplish them much easier.
4. Goals must be realistic: Realistic goals are a crucial part of creating your success. If they are not realistic, you will be far less likely to achieve them. Additionally, unrealistic goals can also be unhealthy. A goal of losing 20 pounds each week is both unrealistic and unhealthy.
5. Goals must be in present tense: Putting your goals in present tense makes them more powerful. All of a sudden, the goal becomes framed as a reality. It’s not something off in the future, it’s here—you’ve achieved it. Our goal, “I will weigh X pounds in the next two month.” transforms into, “I weigh X pounds on Y date.” Using present tense creates a feeling—the feeling that is present when you actually achieve your goal. And this allows the mind to conceive and achieve the goal.
Level 2 – Creating a Strategy
Having a strategy is comparable to a timeline or “mini-goals.” It’s creating goals for your goals. If one of your goals is to make it to the gym at least three days a week, your strategy might be to plan a schedule that keeps an hour open for “gym time.”
Do you remember that syllabus the teachers used to hand out on the first day of classes? Well, that’s a strategy. We want to create our “health syllabus” for the next week, month, year, etc. This allows us to budget our time; plan our workouts, meals, and errands; and to confirm whether we’re on track or not.
The strategy also allows you to customize your new lifestyle to, well, You. Going to the gym six days a week might be unrealistic for you, so create a strategy that works by going to the gym three days a week. You might not be comfortable in the weight room and your strategy may be to start a program with a personal trainer. You can see how the strategy solidifies our goals, which ultimately leads to our purpose—our foundation for this journey.
These are great steps to lasting New Year’s Resolutions. If you are interested, and would like to purchase a copy of Lifetime Physique, where you will find the complete 10-Step Transformation Process, visit http://www.lifetimephysique.com or 
Happy New Year and good luck!
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