Staying on Track

It's that time of year when we are busy with the holiday season and guess what is usually the first thing scratched off our list? YUP! You guessed it YOU are scratched off the list, but most importantly our body is the most valuable possession we have and we neglect it every holiday season.

I hear people whispering goodness the dreaded 5lbs are coming, I can't resist the temptations, the parties, the dinners OH MY GOODNESS TIS THE SEASON TO EXPLODE! I THINK NOT!

Let's talk about how we can permanently stay on track throughout the holiday season and beyond.

In a world filled with fast food advertising, sweet temptations, and a host of entertainment opportunities how do we stay on track with our nutrition/fitness goals and keep the unhealthy habits in check? The first thing that you've got to do is create a healthy foundation. If you have a routine that consists of a balanced healthy breakfast every morning along with eight cups of water throughout the day, and exercise three or more days a week that you stick consistently to on a regular basis, then you've got a very good start!

The key to living a healthy active lifestyle is not just having a to do list that says you need to "do these five things everyday". The motivation starts with having a vision of the life you want to live - your life, not someone else's. Although we all need role models/mentors with whom we can look up to so we can look at what they're doing and in some way duplicate their efforts, we also need that vision of the life we want to create for ourselves. You've got to be able to look into the future lets say five years or even ten years and think about what you'd like to be doing, how you'll feel, what you'll be doing: exercise, physical activity, your job, travel, family life, etc. Don't be overwhelmed by it all, but think about it to the point where you know you'd be happier and most successful if you were to take the steps toward that life.

It all starts with making one simple change each day and building on that positive change with another. Our purpose in this journey of transformation is not about how much we can accomplish in how little time but about how we use our time and resources we have at hand. If you feel that you have made good use of your time five years from now, then you'll realize goals that go way beyond losing few pounds.

It is always easier to "sell you" on the idea that you can lose 7 pounds in 7 days. You can certainly do that with the right motivation and dedication. I can get you all excited to do it and you can go do it. But, not unlike many fad diets that sell the same idea (making lots of money in a short amount of time), only a small percentage will succeed in that time frame and even smaller percentage will succeed beyond that! Not very good odds now is it?

You must first learn the reasons you want to lose weight and create that long-term vision and follow a longer term plan, then you stand a much better (greater then 50%) chance of not only realizing your weight goal but, more importantly, many of your life's goals. The challenge we have here is teaching people to start thinking differently than what advertising conditions them to believe in. Take a step in a different direction and see what happens. It may be uncomfortable at first, but it will be much more rewarding a year from now than if you are still where you are now.