The "Get In Shape" Goal, Why We Fail

I want to share something with you that took me a long time, and someone else telling me, and failing over and over for it to finally click, when it comes to the two things that everyone seems to cringe at when said, DIET and EXERCISE. Dieting as a short term fad is not what I'm talking about, but rather the term "diet" as it describes your daily eating habits.

We have all been on the struggle bus before when it comes to obtaining the body we never had, or having more energy throughout the day, or even when it comes to deciding what to eat everyday. I was like the skinny fat champion of diet and exercise, until just recently.

If you're like me, you can't survive off of that initial adrenaline rush you get when you get excited about getting in shape after not being in shape for so long. I've done this over and over, where I get into a good place and think, 'Hey this is it! I'm going to crush it!' And then a few days go by, and I allow myself a cheat day, and that turns into 2 cheat days, and suddenly it's back to "the diet starts tomorrow".. Ugh, I don't ever want to say those words again. How long has the "get in shape" goal been on your To-Do list?

I guarantee you, getting healthy will transform you inside and out and give you better focus, clarity, energy, and you'll feel better than you most likely feel now. I'm guessing that's what you want, right? Well here are a few ways to help you get on track and STAY on track.

#1: Strategy & Goals

#2: Purpose

#3: Consistency

#4: Committment

#5: Coaching/Accountability

#1: Here's the deal.. don't overwhlem yourself before you even get started. Creating a strategy takes away all the initial stress we feel when we think about how in the world we're going to make this work if we haven't been able to do it before. If you don't have a strategy, you're not going to be able to hold yourself accountable for anything. Knowing how you plan to reach your goal is the very first step once you've set your goals. Start with 1 day, then 1 week, and plan this like you would your wedding or your birthday party! Have fun with it. Know what you want and how you're going to get it, or else you're spinning your wheels and will easily lose sight of that goal when life starts to get busy.

Then...

HAVE A PLAN FOR WHEN YOUR PLAN DOESNT WORK. Yes, that's right! You know your weak points if you've done this over and over before.. midday cravings, tired from working long hours or late nights, always on the go, etc. If you don't have a plan in place for these weak moments, you will most likely succomb to your cravings and blow it.

Take 10 minutes in the morning while you're having your coffee to plan out your day, or if you're not a morning person (like me, I love to sleep!) then do it the night before. When you go to bed with clarity, you wake up with purpose. And don't say you don't have time, because we all have the same hours in a day as Beyonce, or Gary V, or Tony Robbins. Make time to map out your success.

As far as goals go, we all know these are a necessary part to achieving any type of success. So whatever your end goal is, break it into bite size pieces. If you want to lose 10 lbs of fat, break that down into 2-3 pounds per week. However, I wouldn't base your health soley on your weight. This is where I mention "diet" again.. Eating clean is the best thing next to exercise that we can do for ourselves and for the planet. Which leads to my next point about purpose..

#2: Ask yourself why it is you want that better body, or leaner legs, or tone arms, or overall healthier lifestyle. Why do you feel like you're not good enough the way you are? Where is the desire to be "better" coming from? Is it coming from the outside world telling you what looks good and what doesn't? Or is it coming from a place within you that you know and feel it in your heart that you deserve a better life which ultimately comes from a healthy lifestyle all around.

What do you want out of life and how will you achieve it? What would life be like if you were the BEST version of yourself that there could be? You want this purpose to come from a healthy place, and one that means something to you because when you feel connected to something, it becomes easier to obtain. Motivation and drive increase and we start to get focused. So get clear about this and don't worry about the 'how' , and everything else seems to just show up. Worrying never lead you anywhere..

#3: How many times have you heard "consistency is key" but then what happens? Life happens, and time goes by, and the hours in the day get shorter, and we grow more tired and fatigued, and we push off that work out until tomorrow, or we skip cooking that healthy meal we wanted to make and instead we order pizza or take out.

Consistency ties in with strategy.. if you don't have a plan, you won't stick to it, and there goes your consistency. Meal plan and cook all your meals for the week or at least for a few days in one day. Make a vision board, or carry with you your written strategy and take it out and look at it when you start to feel lazy or too tired. That extra push is sometimes all you need. Again, have a plan for when those excuses come up.

Check in with yourself regularly to make sure you're happy about your progress, and if you're not, then re-evaluate things and begin again. Today is the start of the rest of your life.

#4: Your committment to yourself is HUGE and goes hand in hand with your purpose. The weight of your words is not powerful enough if you think it's acceptable to say you're going to do something and then you don't. Chances are if you've done this to yourself, you've also done this to others and let someone down at some point. Step up and let those words carry that weight! Do it for your kids, for your family, for whatever reasons you have.. but ultimately, do it for yourself, because you're worthy of the results you wish to have. Yes, YOU ARE WORTHY! :)

Plus, the reward on the other side of that workout or healthy meal is greater than regret. Think about the consequences you'll have if you don't do this for yourself. Are they painful enough? How bad do you really want this? Commit & don't let yourself down, you deserve better than that.

#5: Lastly, find someone that cares more about your success than whether you like them or not that day. If it's not your husband/wife, maybe it's a friend that you work out with, or better yet, a trainer if you can afford it. Holding yourself accountable is sometimes just not enough and we need help from someone that won't listen to our excuses, because you KNOW you will have them from time to time.

In fact, have a reward planned for when you do well and a consequence for when you slip. Similar to how you would discipline a child, but with something you'll actually DO. Like no shopping for a month (or 2 weeks) if you don't meet your goal. And on the other side, reward yourself with something valuable to you like traveling somewhere or again maybe shopping. One of the things that helps me is to tie in money to my health goals because it's another thing I have to work for and I will feel better about spending it when I've truly earned it. Set a budget, each week put money in the pot when you're on track and don't touch it or take any out until you've achieved your goal.

I hope this helps! I'd love to hear anyone's success stories and tips that work for them, feel free to comment!

-T