At some point in every great fitness success story there is a beginning.
Maybe you are unhappy with your looks.
Maybe you've gained some weight since high school, or having your first child.
Maybe you are tired of being called "skinny".
Or perhaps there's a health situation and your doctor has laid down the law.
Maybe you just want to feel better.
Regardless of what's prompting you to start on the fitness path, you want it to be successful.
Too many people start a program looking to get in shape only to fail and end up back where they were, or worse.
There's simply no need for that.
Anyone can achieve fitness success, though few achieve it through haphazardness.
A little bit of planning will go a long way to ensuring that you're on the right track to the body, health, and energy that you want.
Here are some simple tips that will help you start the fitness process primed for successbefore you ever set foot in the gym, on the treadmill, or in the pool.
These tips will get you thinking about the process of getting in shape and catapult you on your way to achievement.
1.
Decide for yourself why you really want to get in shape.
I know this sounds simple, but the answer is usually more than "I just want to lose some weight".
Why do you want to lose some weight?I had a client who, after some questioning, finally fessed up to the fact that her 25th high school reunion was coming up and she had her eyes set on her old high school flame that she hadn't seen in years.
She wanted to look her best to catch his eye.
I assure you that she had a much stronger desire for achieving her fitness goals after confronting this rather than if I'd let her get away with "just wanting to lose some weight"! Take out a piece of blank paper.
For five minutes write down any reason you can come up with as to why you have your fitness goals.
Afterwards number the three that you feel are the most important to you.
Study these three reasons and see if you can develop them any further.
You don't need to show this list to anyone else, it's just for you.
My bet is that this process will push you a lot further towards the root cause of your current unhappiness with your fitness level than when you started.
2.
Come up with 1-3 short term goals.
When you started thinking about changing your level of fitness you probably had a long-term goal.
It might not be specific, but you have a vision in your head about what you want to look like or achieve.
That's great, but there's probably a pretty good distance between your starting point and your end point.
That type of distance can look daunting.
The old line of "every journey starts with a single step" is certainly true.
Set a short-term, measurable goal that will get you headed in the right direction.
This will give you something to focus on that you can easily visualize and will be a good encouraging point when you succeed.
I'd like to make an amendment to the "every journey starts with a single step" line.
I'd like to add "and it requires a second".
Too many people take that first step, and then never seem to take the next one.
Make several short-term goals that build on each other.
Focus on each one individually, and when you find success, move on to the next.
Before you know it you'll be at your final goal! 3.
Map out how you're going to reach your goals.
Now that you've got several goals to hit, how are you going to get there?It's all well and good to set a goal of losing five pounds in the next two weeks, but how are you going to do it?That goal is very attainable, but it will take some hard work.
Are you going to do extra activity, eat less, or both? You don't need to have every aspect of your life planned out, but you do need to have some sense of how you're going to get from point A to point B.
To use the journey adage of above, you wouldn't take off on your long journey without knowing how to take the steps.
If you don't know how to achieve your fitness goals then there are plenty of resources available.
You can research online, through publications, and discuss with health and fitness professionals.
Don't be afraid to ask for help in setting out your plan.
There are three steps to get you started on your fitness program.
By putting in a little thought before embarking on your program you'll be setting the stage for success!