Failing to have a plan, is planning to fail! This is never more true than when it comes to your fitness and nutrition programs! There is no one diet or exercise plan that works for everyone, no cookie cutter program! For this reason, it is very important to follow a proven process in not only creating your plan, but putting it to work as well. We have broken this process down into the bite sized tips presented below. Start implementing them TODAY!

Visualization! Take a picture of yourself today! Shorts and tank top, bathing suit, anything that doesn’t hide your true ‘condition’ at this moment in time. This is THE most important step. Not having a true visual of your starting point will allow your motivation and desire to wane.

Now determine your “desired” look. Find a photo of someone whose body you admire and would “love” to have! Make a few copies of this image, the “new” you and hang them in strategic locations, such as the fridge, bathroom mirror, car, desk at work, etc. Put this photo in places you have to constantly see it. This provides two benefits. First, it is your constant reminder of your goal, keeping your motivation levels elevated and secondly, it should, unless you hide them, make others aware of your new endeavor, thus providing you with a support team (more on this).

Build a Support Team! When you are trying to get more fit, it is very important to have family and friends supporting you along the way. This means that they need to respect your fitness and health goals and not tempt you into the wrong food choices or try and derail you from your fitness training plan. Remind them how important this is to you and you need their support and encouragement and who knows, they may end of training right along side you.

PLAN Your Exercise! You have important commitments scheduled into your planner, right? Volunteer work, doctor appointments, children’s activities, etc. Where’s EXERCISE??? It’s as important a commitment (if not more) than your other activities. Quick tip: mark “EXERCISE” in your planner with a bright colored marker, so it stands out as a reminder to get your butt in gear.

Keep an Journal! At the end of each day, write down what you’ve accomplished that day to move you closer toward your fitness and/or life goals. DO NOT WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU HAVEN’T ACCOMPLISHED! What matters is what you ARE doing; we all need a long-overdue, well-deserved pat on the back on a regular basis.

Hire a Coach! How many times have you started an exercise program and stopped? Remember those New Year’s Resolutions? How many have you kept? Was losing weight or eating healthier part of those resolutions that are now on a shelf collecting dust? Do you have multiple pieces of exercise equipment that you bought on an infomercial late at night that you now hang your clothes on collecting dust? Get motivated and use a Fitness Coach or Personal Trainer to help support you in your life long mission to permanent weight loss and better overall body fitness and health.

Track Your Training! When trying to get back to your old shape, it seems like you are working hard and getting nowhere. Things are really happening, but sometimes they are so subtle in the beginning, they may not be that visual. The first thing you should do is to keep track of your body measurements. Also, keep track of your training routines to measure weight, rep, and set increases and always make sure that you are constantly reevaluating your fitness plan every 4-6 weeks. Whether it’s fat loss, building muscle tissue, or just feeling better; keeping a log helps and motivates you to get there. When you see where you were, and where you are, you realize you’re making progress!

Following this process and using these simple tips will all but guarantee your fitness success. While it is not imperative to have each one in place from the outset of your program, these tips play equally important roles and every effort should be made to follow each one as close to the start of your program as possible. We truly hope you find this information helpful and your success comes at an efficient pace. Good luck!

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