How to Follow Through on Your Goals

To find success in fitness like anything else you need two things: 1) a viable plan and 2) most importantly the follow through to make it work. Unlike the hard things like finding the right mate or a high paying career that you actually like, fitness is basically pretty easy.
All you need to do is eat health but not too much and spend two to three hours a week on an effective exercise program. The good news, the plan is a no brainer and its the same for everyone.
The only reason everyone is not in great or at least good shape is part two, the follow through. We all know what we need to do and only need the willpower and discipline to stick to our plan.
Although the first part (the plan) is the same for everyone, the follow through is different for each and every individual. I will now try to give some of the tips I've used to help motivate thousands of clients I've helped during my personal training career of 25 years.
1) Ask a family member or spouse to help keep you on your toes. You want accountability but you need the right approach. Tell people what you need or it will usually come across as nagging. There is probably a phrase that drives you crazy but also one that may really be helpful.
2) Right on a daily planner or calendar when you ate well and when you exercised. One client put a red check for ate well and a green check for a walk or exercise session. When you look at the month and see lots of checks it makes for a good visual.
3) Give yourself a reward for short term goals. If you lose five pounds treat yourself to a new shirt or a small splurge. You may not want the rewards to be in the way of food.
4) Find a partner of trainer who shares your fitness goals. If you ask 100 people I think you will find most will like to drop a few pounds. Finding a walking partner may be the first step to making fitness progress. 

Add One Hour a Week and Lose Weight

There is a simple way to lose weight if you are walking or doing just cardio. The good thing about cardio or walking is that it helps rev up your metabolism. Some studies show a several hour boost after just an hour walk. On the other hand if you build muscle your metabolism is accelerated for 24 hours. Fat is like dirt, it doesn't need to be watered or fertilized. Muscle needs nutrients like food to  be kept alive.

I have several clients that come to me for two half hour session a week to build and maintain new muscle. The good thing: the less you're used to the less you need to do. They call weight lifting progressive resistance because you progressively lift heavier and heavier weight. This means you never have to be overwhelmed. Start with a weigh that begins to get heavy after eight or ten reps and stop at 15 repetitions. You may find a pound or two for some exercises is plenty.

A good weight loss program might be to walk Mon Wed and Fri and then do some resistance training on Tues and Thur. Don't forget that you can't walk off bad eating. All the cardio is for naught if you don't follow a common sense eating program. For example a few appetizers at Friday's took a half marathon to walk off.