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Do You Know What's Keeping
You From Your Fitness Goals?
Yes, I know this next newsletter was supposed to be about
fluoride in your water... but I was away for a few days this
week and really started thinking again about how important
goal setting is.
I recently met a guy (who actually bought our old stove!)
and was talking to him about goals and how you achieve what
you set out to do... in the middle of our conversation, he
invited me to look at his collage of goals.... and not only
that... he began to tell me about the ones that he was moving
toward every single day.
It is imperative to set goals. If you are not doing it...
you are not succeeding. I can almost guarantee it.
The most prevalent cause of fitness failure may not be what
you think it is. It has nothing to do with heredity, gender,
attitude, laziness, motivation or the always-prevalent gimmick,
quick-fix diet market.
Many strong-willed and positive thinking individuals have
let their workout programs and health falter for long periods
of time—gaining extra pounds, loosing muscle strength and
sending their systems way out of balance.
Take a deep breath... this does not mean you are a failure!
It only means you haven't used a system of goal setting that
guarantees results every time you do it.
It doesn’t matter how motivated, energetic or gung-ho about
an exercise or fitness program you are. If you neglect putting
your goals on paper you will NEVER achieve success to the
level that you deserve. Actually, let me reword that—if you
neglect putting your goals EVERYWHERE—the refrigerator, the
bathroom mirror, your dashboard—you will NEVER achieve the
rewarding success of being healthy and fit for life.
When you have set an unwritten fitness goal, as many of us
have in the past, generally what happens is a newly found
energy and drive leads you through the first couple of weeks
of energetic workouts and solid gains. This is a tremendous
feeling and we embrace it with excitement. This energy is
a powerful motivator during that time—it can make you get
up off the couch when you are feeling lazy or convince you
to get up an hour or so earlier for yoga or a run.
Unfortunately, as strong as that energy comes on, it drops
off just as quickly. For most people, when that energy fades
so does the frequency of workouts. This not only leads to
failure to complete your unwritten goals, it also leads to
self-doubt. After not living up to a commitment, people tend
to be harder on themselves and give up making similar goals
all together. I call this the New Year’s Resolution Syndrome.
What’s the point in making a New Year’s Resolution if they
never last until February?!
Posting your goals is an action that will serve as a reminder
of the energy you had when you initially made them. When you
are two months into a new fitness and health program and you
feel too tired to go out and ride a bike, you can look at
your goals and be reminded of how important those goals were
to you then and how they are just as important now. Remembering
why you posted them and bringing back that positive unstoppable
energy is essential to your lasting fitness success.
I've practiced posting goals for a while now and demand that
all my clients do the same. The results are staggering. People
reach their goals and then they continue to use the system
to keep succeeding. I'll tell you what, there is nothing like
reaching a goal way before you thought you could do it. It
is a fantastic feeling and gives you a positive energy that
bursts out of your seams.
So think about writing down your goals and putting them in
places where you can see them all the time. It will work.
I promise you.
To Your Success,
Kevin
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