Be Great in 2008! - part 1

OK... we've got FIVE days to get our heads on straight to make sure that 2008 will be our most successful with health and fitness.

This is the first of a multipart series on the “how to's”, of forming a game plan to reach your health and fitness goals in 2008. This was spawned on when I read a bill board the other day that said…”Be great in 2008!” I think its time to start.

Unfortunately when it comes to health and fitness in this country, 95% of dieters fail within the first few weeks, the few that do make it through the first month and are successful, don’t maintain their fitness or fat loss for more than a few years.

For example, did you know that less than 25% of Americans exercise on a regular basis?

Exercise as defined by the Centers for Disease Control is 30 minutes per day 4 days per week. However the definition of exercise in this study included playing with children, sweeping floors or raking leaves. It really should be defined as activity – which means that only 25% of Americans are active! I guess that better explains why more than half of Americans are overweight and obese, and those numbers are not getting smaller (pardon the pun).

So I went on a mission of sorts, I wanted to find out how much information was readily available to the average person on health, diet and exercise. I was amazed… I searched Google, for “weight loss” there were 230,000,000 listings! Exercise 194,000,000 million listings! Personal training…yields 8.4 million, and Health Clubs 10.5 million… ho-key schmokes!

Clearly, there are more gyms, health clubs, DVD’s, books, magazines and experts than ever – but where are the results? In fact, (again according to the CDC), there are more diet and lifestyle related diseases, degenerative conditions and obesity than at any other time in our history. Depressed yet?!

Despite our efforts, and despite the overwhelming information and resources, people are still failing to reach their health and fitness goals and getting fatter. So I think one can conclude that the solution to America’s growing weight and health problem isn’t more diet and exercise information. So what are we Americans missing?

Doing research for my Masters Degree over the past year opened my eyes. One of the many areas of study was to research current and past clients to find out what made these highly motivated people more successful than others when it came to mastering metabolism and reaching their fitness goals. Another part of my education was studying some of the leading expert’s in personal development, human potential and success we even got into some quantum physics and neuroscience – not sure that I will recover from that month…

What became clear after pouring through this research and old client files was that all of those who were successful have three things in common.

First was a well thought out plan; in the case of weight loss – the best diet for their specific goals. Second was a specific and consistent mode; again using weight loss for example these folks had an exercise program that was enjoyable and easy to consistently achieve. And last but not least, (the most important ingredient – my view), a very positive mindset.

No matter the prize you wish to achieve - YOU have to have the ability to maintain a certain mindset that will allow you to take constant action towards reaching your stated goal(s).

Through all of this study, I learned that success is created in the mind, first. I also learned why only 2-3% of people in this world are effectively achieving their fitness goals. If you do not have the right mindset (beliefs, attitudes and expectations), you will not be successful no matter how good your diet, exercise plan and goal setting systems might be.

A person who is successful has a mindset that drives them to think and act in certain ways. So what I tried to do over the course of this study was to compile beliefs, attitudes and habits in a step by step plan to help you cut through confusion and take consistent action to allow you every advantage in reaching your health, fitness or sports performance goals.

First things first, time to get real…

Next post tomorrow...

Larry