5-Tips to Help You Achieve Your Ideal Fitness Goals

Every year, we all become well-meaning and go about making resolutions that are destined for failure because we do not have a plan of attack. Here are 5 tips which may be just what the doctor ordered to help you in your quest to lose weight and get fit.

You have just signed up for that super platinum gym membership... or not, but you have decided to start your workout regimen to lose some weight and get healthier for 2012. Every year, we all become well-meaning and go about making resolutions that are destined for failure because we do not have a plan of attack. Here are 5 tips which may be just what the doctor ordered to help you in your quest to lose weight.

1. To begin with, you have to set realistic weight loss goals, both short and long term. The ideal fitness goals for you must be attainable, especially in the short term to create some successes which will motivate you for the longer term goals.

Remember that you did not gain weight overnight, so don't expect lose it within a short period. Your body will burn fat at varying rates depending on your metabolism. Some weeks you will lose more than others but over the long haul, you should average about 2 pounds per week.

2. Be specific. How much weight do you want to lose by the end of the year (12 months)? How many pounds (a specific number) do you want to lose? This is your ultimate weight loss goal. How do you get there? Divide your specific number by 12 (12 months) and that's your goal per month. Divide that result by 4 and that's your weekly goal. Now, forget about your 12 month goal and focus on the weekly number that is more manageable.

Question: How do you eat an elephant? Answer: One bite at a time. The key is bite-size pieces. Get my drift?

3. It is most important to find a "why" ...the reason you want to lose the weight. It must be your why and nobody else's. You are doing this for you. It's not enough to say that being overweight is an unhealthy condition. That's too clinical. It must be EMOTIONAL and PERSONAL.

There is a paradox in that making it personal, may involve other important people in your life, such as a spouse, kids or grand kids.

Making it emotional and personal will undoubtedly motivate you to follow through to your stated weight loss goal.

4. You need to write down your goals which should include milestones, which in your case would be weight loss and due dates. If you just keep it in your head, it becomes only a wish. It is also important to post it where you can see it at all times and someone, whom you trust, could be a workout buddy, must know about your goals so you can be accountable to someone other than yourself.

5. Find someone to be accountable to during your quest. This should be someone whom you trust to get you up when you don't feel like working out or call when you feel that you are straying from the planned path. This person will be that little guy on your shoulder reminding you why you are doing what you are doing.

Your good health is the most important gift you can give to yourself and your loved ones. It is, therefore, your responsibility to ensure that you deliver. You will need some help in that regard. It is always easier to follow in the footsteps of someone who has gone before. The Ideal Fitness System is a blueprint you can use to achieve your fitness goals.

Your quest to lose weight should not be too stressful which would be counterproductive because stress does produce the chemical, cortisol which contributes to weight gain around the mid-section. Rather endeavor to make it fun which will encourage you to persevere to the end. Your mantra should be FUN... FUN... and more FUN.

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