Saturday, March 24, 2018

No Plan Or Accountability


So why do you need a plan? OK, let me throw out a few reasons to see if I ring any bells.  How about procrastination, time management, consistency, or accountability? Now that we are on the same page,  let's take a look at what a plan should be:

"A plan is typically a diagram or list of steps with timing and resources used to achieve an objective."

Simply put, your plan should be the road map to your ultimate fitness goal. Now that you have decided what you want to do, how are you going to do it? Let's take a look at what you need to consider when developing your fitness goal plan.

The biggest challenge will be time management. You need to decide how much time you are going to invest, where will it fit comfortably in your current lifestyle, and commit to those time frames. Next, you need to consider how you are going to use that time to ensure you take full advantage of that investment. Then prioritize and create the right balance between exercise (weight training, cardio, group classes, etc.) rest, and diet guidelines that coincide with the benchmarks you established within your ultimate goal. Keep in mind that things will change along the way. That's just life. So, you will need to keep track of your progress and depend on your designated benchmarks to make any needed adjustments to stay on track. Once completed, you will have created the consistency and accountability needed to accomplish your goals and drive your continued success.

There are plenty of resources available to help you design and track your plan. You can write it down, use a calendar, spread sheet, or apps designed for your smart phones or tablets.  Just make sure that it's something you are comfortable with and will use on a daily basis. In addition, I have included links to some of my previous posts that should help guide you through designing, tracking, and prioritizing the needs of your plan.

Helpful posts from the archives:
Gauging Success
Tracking Daily Progress with Fooducate
Staying on Track while Traveling
Fitting in a Workout on Your Busiest Days
Nutrition Tips

Until next time, always enjoy your journey to better fitness and health,


Find Your Balance - Keep It Simple - Get Results




















Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Addressing the most common road blocks to your fitness goals


We are almost 3 months into 2018.  So how are you progressing towards your New Year's fitness resolution? If you are a little skeptical at this point, you are not alone.  This is when the excitement and enthusiasm starts to dwindle.  You may be starting to feel overwhelmed, lost, and you just aren't sure if its all worth the effort.  You are not alone.  This is where about 50% of all fitness goals end and it's always for the same reasons.

There are a lot of things that can get in the way of your progress and through this series I will address the 6 most common reasons the failure rate is so high.

1. Unrealistic expectations
2. No plan or accountability
3. Time availability
4. Commute or accessibility to the gym
5. Feeling out of place and lack of guidance at the gym
6. Lack of motivation/No support system

Today we'll be dealing with "Unrealistic Expectations".  It's all about results versus expectations.  This is where we tend to bite off more than we can chew and, as a direct result, we set ourselves up for failure.  What you need to do is break your ultimate goal down into more realistic or achievable benchmarks.  These benchmarks design a path towards your ultimate goal and should be time dated to monitor your progress.

For example, if you are trying to lose 20 pounds in the next 6 months establish checkpoints every 30 days. It might look like this:

Goal: Lose 20lbs by June

Total PoundsJanFebMarAprMayJune
Lost3.5710.51417.521

At these checkpoints, reward yourself if you hit the mark.  What kind of reward?  It should be unique to your needs, and should also serve as a visible reminder of your progress.  If you didn't hit the mark, evaluate why and make the necessary changes to get back on track. This provides you with tangible results in digestible bites and keeps your fuel tank full.

Bottom line, staying fit is always a challenge.  Whether it's diet, exercise, motivation, time, or accountability, your success will always be dependent on the path you create and the timely adjustments you make.

The next checkpoint in this series will be "Developing the Right Plan and Accountability".  Until then, enjoy your journey to better health and fitness.