Was the resolution to lose weight? Fit in your skinny jeans?  Look great in that bikini?  Get a flat stomach?  All of the above?

How’s it going so far?

On track?  Stuck?  Bored? Frustrated?  Haven’t started yet?

If you answer yes to on track, GREAT JOB!  Keep up the good work.

If you answered yes to any of the others, you are not alone.

Having been a Wellesley personal trainer for 10 years I have seen the New Year’s Resolutioners come and go.  Mainly go.  This is about the time that they start to drop off.  At least until next year that is.  Don’t let this happen to you.  Here are six steps that you need to follow to keep your self on track.

And for you haven’t started yets, don’t worry,  these steps will work just as well for you.

STEP 1.)  START.  Make a decision to start now.  Not tomorrow.  Not next Monday.  Not when it is convenient. NOW!!  Once the decision is made, set a deadline and commit to it.  Your deadline does not have to be a specific date or event just something that you will hold yourself to and give you an end point.  Also, make sure that your goal is S.M.A.R.T.

STEP 2.)  ACT.  Don’t come up with a goal and then do nothing about it.  That is called dreaming and will get you nowhere.  Figure out what you need to do to get your butt in gear and start you to your goals.  Do you need to clean the junk and processed foods out of your pantry?  Plan you grocery shopping?  Get a gym membership?  Hire a personal trainer who specializes in weight loss?

Act now and you can fit into these by spring.

STEP 3.)  SET YOUR GOAL.  Write down what your goal is.  Make it sound as positive as possible.  (I will your S.M.A.R.T. goal here.)  This helps to strengthen your commit to your goal.

STEP 4.)  SET YOUR INTENTIONS.  Write down the intentions that you need to do to reach your goal.  I intend to workout (hard) 3 days a week.  I ntend to eat clean at least 90% of the time. ETC.

I intended to reach this body.

STEP 5.)  POST IT.  Take your goal/intention list and post it somewhere where you will regularly see it.  Better yet,  make (lots of) copies and place them anywhere (and everywhere) that you regularly frequent.  This way you will have constant reminders of your goal and what it is that you are striving to accomplish.  This will keep you motivated to keep going.

STEP 6.)  BROADCAST IT.  When you are posting your gaol/intention lists make sure that others can see them as well.  This allows others to read it and to give you more accountability (and maybe even inspire them to do the same).   You would not want others to see you fail to reach your goals, would you?  Also, tell as many other people what your goal is and what you plan on doing (changing) to accomplish it.  Have them help you to stay on track and to give you motivation when you feel like quiting.  Tell your friends.  Your family.  Your workout buddy(s).  Anyone that you would not want to fail and who will not fail you (no negative nancies).  You can also try a online blog and posting photos to show your progress (or lack there of).  If that doesn’t light a fire under your @$$, I don’t lnow what will.

With a body like this, who wouldn’t want to broadcast it.

Have that goal in mind?  Follow the six steps RIGHT NOW!  Don’t wait.  Start now.  I not kidding stop read and start doing.  You could already be on your way to YOU 2.0 .  Seriously stop reading and get to it.

Your friend and trainer,

Paul

P.S.  What part of right now did you not understand.

New Year’s Resolution Time.

WOOHOO.

Not really.  I myself think this whole resolution thing is a joke.  I can’t recall ever waiting until New Year’s to decide to change something about myself.  Seems like a bad time of year to try since over 90% of people that make a New Year’s resolution give up within the first couple of months.

But I know most of you will probably make one anyway.  So if you are going to make a New Year’s Resolution, make sure that it is S.M.A.R.T.  By that I mean make sure that your goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound.

Specific. Don’t just say that you want to lose weight or eat healthier.  Be specific as possible for what you want to accomplish.  Instead say that you want to lose 20 pounds, drop 2 dress sizes or eat 5 servings of  fruits and vegetables a day.

I’m down 20 lbs and 2 dress sizes.

Measurable. Make sure whatever your goal is that you can measure and keep track of your progress.  Seeing where you are from where you started can help motivate you to keep going or tell you where you need to change things.

Another 2 inches!

Attainable.  The Biggest Loser may be your motivation to lose weight but shouldn’t be where you bet your goals from. Losing 100+ lbs in 3 months is NOT possilbe for anyone who’s diet and exercise program in not monitored 24/7.  Instead pick a goal of losing 1 to 2 lbs a week and keep at that until you reach a weight that you are satisfied with.

Then shoot for another 5 lbs.

Relevant. If you are a already thin and don’t eat a lot but still have a slight tummy losing 5 more lbs probably isn’t going to help you much.  Shoot for getting those stomach and hip muscles stronger and figuring out what part your diet needs to change.

No cutting calories and doing more cardio is not the answer for you.

Time Bound. After you have all the above components squared away set a time that you want to reach you goals.  As mentioned above this could be as little as losing 1-2 lbs a week or as much as losing 50 lbs and looking damn good in that bikini for that 10th anniversary vacation to Hawaii in February 2011.

Try not to draw too much attention to yourself.  You will be getting enough.

So when you find yourself at 11:59pm December 31st thinking of your resolution make sure it contains all the variables listed above.  This alone will help you reach your goal and still successfully be working on it come March.

What’s you resolution going to be?  Need help coming up with one or need tips on how you can reach it? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

Your friend and trainer,

Paul