Erin’s Golbydob

#1 - Set Your Goals

This might seem cliché, but it is very true. In order to achieve something that you set out to do, you must clearly visualize what this "something" is and how you are going to go about measuring it your ways in which to get "it" and knowing when it is that you finally are going to achieve "it." It’s good to have a short-term goal and a longer-term goal, and write your goals down with a clear map of "How I am going to achieve it" planned along with it. The more you are inspired to reach your goal, the higher your chance of achieving it. What really drives you to lose 30 lbs? What is your reason for gaining 5 lbs of muscle or losing 15 lbs of fat? If your reason for the goal is not a strong enough fuel for you to grasp this pot of gold at the end of the tunnel, you might find yourself on the path to non-achievement. Get realistic about what you want to achieve, draw out a path for how you are going to go about it, and keep your plan visible so that you are constantly reminded of it. You can even tell your closest friends and family about your path to your goals so that they can encourage you along the way.

#2 - Develop a Routine

It is proven that if you develop a structured plan for your daily workouts rather than deciding on whim when and where to workout on a workout-to-workout basis, then you will be more successful. Lay out your workout plan a week in advance so that you are making it a priority, and therefore, can plan other events around it. For instance, start waking up in the morning before work and head to the gym at least 4 times a week. After two weeks, you will be amazed that this routine you have developed has become second nature and getting fit has become part of your lifestyle.

#3 - Put "You" First

One of the most common excuses when it comes to working out is, "I got too busy:" or, basically, you didn’t make time to eat right or workout because life got too crazy. Have you ever watched people that train for Ironmans, who also have families and full-time jobs. Training for this event can sometimes add up to working out 3-5 hours in 1 day. And they find time to fit it in. So, that just proves that the whole, "I didn’t have time" line is the biggest excuse in the book, don’t say it! You have 24 hours in a day and for at least 1 hour of that day, you can set aside time to enjoy some time in the gym, or in a pool, or on your bike. Exercise is important because not only will it make you look better, but it will make you feel awesome and improve your health. Wouldn’t the chance to ultimately live longer motivate you enough to mange your time better throughout the day and make healthy decisions. If you can, workout before you go to your job in the morning. Find time to fit in a lunch-hour workout if your job allows. Weekends are perfect for family activities, in which you can join your spouse for an evening walk or encourage your kids to play at the park while you run around the nearby bike path. You are in control- take personal responsibility and make eating right and exercise a priority.

#4 - Think of Food as Fuel

Eating a healthy, or clean diet is more important than the exercise put in by an individual when it comes to losing weight or body fat. Think of your body as a well-working machine. If you feed your machine the cleanest fuel, it will perform better- faster, stronger, and more efficient. Think about the food that you are putting into your mouth and if your choices are not getting you closer to your fitness goal, then don’t consume it: simple as that. I would venture to say that diet is almost 80% of the weight loss battle, where as exercise is 20%. You should have a good idea about what types of food are considered "clean" foods for which to fuel your body and which ones are unhealthy, foods. (If not, there is probably a good chance that you are not losing weight because of this reason.) Remember that it is human nature to overestimate the amount of "good" food that a person eats and underestimate the number of total calories that a person eats in a day. You can try out this theory by keeping a food journal for a week. You might be amazed at just how many calories you are eating in a day, or how few you are consuming. One of the biggest problems that people have is that they don’t eat enough, or frequently enough. Most people don’t eat enough of the food that is going to get them lean or they are uneducated about the nutritional value of most foods. Increase the amount of water that you drink and, the biggest thing of all; you don’t need to starve yourself in order to lose weight. The best ‘diet’ is one that is not called a diet, but that is seen as an overall healthy food menu that includes all your fuel types in moderation and in proper proportions. Moderation is key and, yes, there is such a thing as "too much of a good thing"- so, watch your portions!

#5 - Start Weight Training & Cut Cardio

Your body is composed of Lean Body Mass and Fat Mass. Most people who are trying to "lose weight" are trying to decrease this body fat percentage, or total fat mass. Therefore, you must increase your lean body mass, or muscle mass, so that your body composition becomes less fat and more muscle- plain and simple. The most effective way in which to do this is to start a weight training program. The more muscle you have on your body, the greater the amount of fat burned. In addition, with a higher amount of lean body mass, the greater your resting metabolic rate will be because of the fuel needed for these muscles to work and perform. If you are spending endless hours in a gym on an elliptical trainer for 45 minutes a day without any weight training program at all, and are not seeing any results, I am not surprised. Long bouts of steady paced aerobic workouts without any variation in speed or intensity will not do much for making your body lean. You may drop some weight in the beginning, if you are overweight and have never worked out before. However, our bodies are smart and will start to adapt to this long, slow distance and your results will begin to plateau. Keep in mind that you can get more bang for your buck at the gym by lifting weights for 30 minutes rather than running for 60 minutes. In fact, lifting weights for 3 times a week for about 45 minutes each time will get you the results you want.

#1 Develop Good Habits

In order to achieve success, you must develop good habits. We are creatures of habit. Fitness isn’t just something you do in order to look great and lose weight. Fitness becomes part of your lifestyle: it becomes habitual for you to work out every week and challenge your body weekly. If we develop good habits, success becomes natural.

#2 Moderation

Everything in life is good in moderation. You can’t diet 365 days of the year, and it’s good for your body to get a week off from exercise once in a while. It is only when things become excessive: eating too many carbs, drinking too much alcohol, working too much: is when things go bad.

#3 Consistency Is Key

Consistency is key. Some weeks you work out five times a week, sometimes only one. The key is to remain consistent in your workouts in the long run. In life you should never let go of things that are important for you, remain consistent regardless of the situation or challenge.

#4 Prioritize Your Life

Prioritize your life. Take a step back and re-assess what’s important to you. Fitness is part of our life because we understand that our health and our body improve the quality of our life. Everyone gets busy. We are faced with deadlines, overtime and stress.

However, regardless of how demanding our professional and personal lives are, we should always prioritize what truly matters.

#5 Quality Not Quantity

It’s all about quality not quantity. It’s not how long you work out, it’s how hard, focused and intense you are when you do. Similar to Fitness, in life, having an abundance of material wealth won’t necessarily provide happiness, however; the quality of the people and experiences that make up your life will provide happiness.

#6 Care For Yourself First

Take care of yourself first. By focusing on your health and prioritizing your nutrition, you are taking care of yourself first. In doing so, you are now more capable to contribute to your friends and family because you did something small that was positive for yourself.

If you are physically, mentally and spiritually stable, you can give more to those you love.

#7 For Every Action, There Is A Consequence

For every action, there is a consequence. Training takes dedication, commitment and sacrifice. Constantly re-strategizing your fitness goals takes long term visualization. Every choice in our life has a consequence, by understanding long term results we can make better, rational choices today.

#8 If You Fail To Plan, Plan To Fail

If you fail to plan, plan to fail. If we want to achieve something great in fitness, we must understand nutrition and exercise. After understanding how each component is important, we can better execute. Like any life situation, you must first understand what it takes to get somewhere and then go!