Strickland Fitness

Why do we give up on our goals? Why do we put aside all of our hard work because the end results just seems too far away? Sometimes the gratification we are looking for only comes when the final product is established. Wouldn’t it feel great to have that gratification all the time? How do we get that when it comes to our fitness goals? The answer is setting short term goals for long term success!

If you want to lose 20 pounds, make that your semi-long term goal. Your long term goal should be to keep it off. Make losing 5 pounds your short term goal. After you lose that, make 5 more pounds your next goal. You will feel the gratification of reaching each goal giving you the determination to keep going. Losing all 20 pounds will come with your continuous hard work and persistence. You will also not have the feeling that the 20 pounds is too far away and it is taking too long.

Another great tool for your fitness goals is to keep a log of everything you are doing towards your goal. Whether it’s losing weight, gaining muscle, or just maintaining your already achieved success, log it. If your goal is to lose weight, write down what you are eating, drinking, your cardio, and your resistance workouts. That way you can go back and see what has been working for you or against you. If you put on a few pounds and you don’t know how, you can go back into your log and see what you were doing. This will keep you accountable for your results. This will also make you want to do more towards your goals so you can write it down.

When I ask a client how many calories they think they take in per day, the answer they give me is usually far less than the actual number. I ask them to write down everything they put into their mouth for a few days and then I count the calories. They actually are taking in almost 500 more calories than they thought. Their nutrition changes immediately. You can make fewer calories a day your short term goal. The long term goal will come with it automatically.

If you have been trying to lose weight and it just doesn’t seem to be working, read this carefully. Our bodies don’t want any extra weight that is not needed. Our bodies want to carry a weight that allows us to move comfortably and freely throughout our lives. Our bodies do not want extra weight that will cause high blood pressure, heart disease, and high cholesterol. We as people do not want extra weight that makes us feel bad and makes us spend more money on clothes because our sizes keep changing. Your body wants to be at the weight you want it to be at and it is built to be that way. You just have to do a few simple things to help it along.

Now, I know most people that are reading this are thinking that if it was so simple then I wouldn’t be in the position to have to lose weight. Well, to clarify, the things you have to do are simple. The implementation and dedication to these things are more difficult. What are these simple things: Resistance training, cardiovascular training, and healthy nutrition. That’s it! Actively bringing these 3 things into your life will get you to your goal weight. Your hard work and dedication with these 3 things is the recipe for weight loss and overall good health.  

I will discuss these key points in great detail in the following posts. If you have any questions, feel free to email me or leave a comment and I will post it with your answer.