Cara Windham What’s the hardest part about going to the gym?
I’ll give you a second to think about it . . .
Actually going, right?
Ask anybody – they’ll tell you.
Peter Bregman wrote an awesome article about how motivation isn’t the issue when looking to accomplish goals. He might be onto something. We make excuses and procrastinate when it comes to actually following through.
In the article, “Motivation isn’t your problem”, Pete’s friend Bryon has an issue with getting to the gym. But really, Bryon’s underlying issue isn’t that he lacks the motivation to get in shape. He actually wants to get to the gym.
Bryon’s problem is really all of our problems. His follow through is what is suffering. Everyone’s follow through suffers. But why? I think that it has a lot to do your level of commitment. Without it, follow through just won’t happen. Commit and follow through, it’s that simple.
Committing to something is hard to do though. Sometimes it’s even scary.
This idea has all sorts of implications in your life. As you start committing to certain paths, you leave other ones behind. And you open up the possibility of failure too.
This applies to your career, love life, and yes, even your health and fitness. Comitting means that you can work hard and still fail.
Realistically, if you want to start getting healthy or begin to leading a healthy life – you actually have to commit. When you commit, you actually make a conscious decision to follow through and try. You might stumble. That’s okay.
Working out is a behavior. It’s a lifestyle. And only by committing to it will you be able to actually see it through and get the results that you want.
Alexandra Samuel states that there are 7 steps to achieving success. In her article she discusses that you can review all the actions you are taking towards a certain goal, and cut out the actions that aren’t helping you get there. It’s a great philosophy, even for fitness and health. So check it out and take leading a healthy life from pipe dream to reality.
7 steps towards reaching your fitness goals:
1. Write down your top goals for your individual fitness.
Be specific. Seriously dude. So like, “ I want to lose weight” probably won’t help. Imagine every guy who said, “I want to make a lot of money”, and ask them how far they got on their quest for green. Probably not very far. Specific goals help you achieve. The same goes for leading a healthy lifestyle.
2. Dump every single thing that you are doing to make that happen into a list.
Have you joined a gym? Have you set up a workout plan? Do you have a personal trainer? Everything possible for you to be doing something to get started on leading a healthy lifestyle – just write it down. Google ideas if you have to, this really shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes. You’ll brainstorm some stuff that might work out for you when you thought they wouldn’t! Besides, this brainstorm is crucial to step 3.
3. Start crossing stuff out.
Some things that are on my list just won’t ever happen. Waking up for a lift at 5AM is just not going to fly. Not using cream in my coffee won’t fly either. So I cut out things that don’t work for me and concentrate on things that do. Set up yourself up for small wins instead of trying to do it all at once, the momentum you gain from one small win will equate to even bigger wins down the road.
4. Finalize your goals and how you’ll get there
Set up that workout plan. Sign up for that personal trainer. Cook more. What ever your plan is towards beginning a health lifestyle, write it down and . . .
5. COMMIT TO ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS.
6. Set up a checklist to make sure that you are on track.
Martin Berkhan wrote a great article on looking awesome every day, and keeping track of your progress and making sure that you are maintaining it as well. Keeping track will provide you with momentum to keep up all your hard work.
7. Finally, GET TO WORK.
That’s right, get cracking and follow through on your commitments. That’s why you’ve been reading this article anyway right?
Now, if you’re about to leave cause you’re like, Andrew you have red hair and I don’t listen to redheads who talk about fitness.
Just read the last part of this article and hear me out.
You have commitments that you follow through in your life whether you like it or not. Everyday you make a decision and all of your commitments are intertwined in some way.
If you can’t find a plan to commit to, I challenge you to think of the commitments that you have that are linked to your health.
Like your job.
Like your significant other.
Like your family.
Like your friends.
Like you.
If you can’t commit to your own health for you, then commit to your own health for those above.
You owe it to them. And yourself.
