If it is to be, it is up to me

We all have good intentions when it comes to embarking on the journey to a healthier lifestyle. However, what most of us find hard is how to stay motivated and turn that intention into a habit.

Setting a destination or a target should be the first step when commencing any journey. It can only commence with the end in mind. In the words of Zig Ziegler: “You cannot hit a target you cannot see, and you cannot see a target you do not have.”

Whatever our dream, vision or health and fitness goals are, there is one very important question we need to ask ourselves: Why or what is the reason we decided to achieve these goals?

If we are doing it to please others, like our spouses, then we will not succeed. We should be doing it for ourselves, because we want to enhance our health and our own well-being. We must be true to ourselves and the desire for a positive change in our lifestyle must come from within us. This is the only way to stay in control of our destiny and lifestyle and bring about change.

“Motivation, “ according to Dwight D. Eisenhower, “ is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.”

Having set goals, though the most important step is not enough. They will get us started. What will keep us adhering to them is the understanding that there are no “quick fixes” and the need to form new habits.

In order to focus on developing proper habits, we need to have realistic and attainable goals. These must be high enough to inspire us yet at the same time low enough to encourage us. No point in trying to lose those unwanted 10 kilograms in one month for that cruise we have been saving up for years. We need to make sure that the changes that we make are easy and convenient.

Focusing on long term goals can be at time disheartening, especially if our goals are too big and too distant. Running a 10 K race may seem daunting for some of us.

Why not break our goals into small accomplishments, which will add up to one great achievement at the end of our long journey?   We should begin our programme at a level that is safe and comfortable for us and increase it slowly. Achieving these small milestones along our route will not only help us prevent injury, it will make us proud and the resulting satisfaction will create more motivation. It will give us cause to celebrate and a reason for a reward.

From the moment we make the decision to adopt a healthier lifestyle, it is important for us to recognize that we have much to learn about exercise and training. Changing our lifestyle requires us to make informed decisions. Continual learning about proper nutrition and exercise techniques will not only strengthen our confidence and our belief in our ability to lose weight and tone up, it will also affect our determination and our eventual success.

An integral part of every challenge is to learn to accept failure and occasional setbacks. Failure is an element of motivation, a by-product of taking risks and stepping out of our comfort zone. We should regard it as a learning tool. If we assume responsibility, analyse the reasons for our failure and use the positive energy within us to make that setback meaningful, we will bounce back to success. “My great concern,” Abraham Lincoln once said, “is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.”

Finally, throughout our journey towards health and fitness, we should remind ourselves of the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle. As we progress along our chosen path towards success, we will see them unfolding in front of us. We will feel stronger, more energetic, develop a higher self-esteem, feel healthier, more mentally alert and, of course, look better and younger. The prize is worth the price.

So don’t just dream of success. Wake up and work hard for it  - only you hold the key.

Don’t wait! Contact us today - together we can shape and fine-tune your needs and goals, help you focus on them and motivate you to succeed.