Ok people, it’s almost time to celebrate the New Year. Reflect back and give yourself some credit for all you’ve achieved over the past year. Did you hit all of your goals? If you did, kudos you have a lot to be proud of! If you didn’t quite shatter all of your goals for 2015, be proud of yourself for showing up and giving your all every day. Not many of us are going to have 100% success, 100% of the time. Focus on all of the accomplishments you did have, and let’s start the New Year by planning to smash all of your health and weight-loss goals in 2016!
10 Essential Strategies for Success the Experts Agree On
1. Decide to Put Yourself First. As women we typically are so busy taking care of everyone and everything else during the year, we forget to take care of ourselves. I want you to decide right now to do better for yourself. You can’t give everyone else your best if you don’t take care of your own wellbeing, health and happiness. When you take care of yourself first, you’ll have more energy to focus on the other important things in your life.
“If you’re looking to raise the quality of your life, then raise your standards and start demanding more.”
– Tony Robbin
https://twitter.com/TonyRobbins/status/659077646957981696
I believe that when you start to take care of yourself, the universe will start to take care of you.” – Bob Harper
http://specials.people.com/partners/possibilities-ahead/t1/223
2. Choose to Change. Understanding that there is a need and taking action are two different things. To be successful, you have to make a conscious choice to change.
“All changes are created in a moment – it’s just that most of us wait until certain things happen before we finally decide to make a shift.” – Tony Robbins https://twitter.com/TonyRobbins/status/672104362362056704
“Where you are today is a result of your choices and actions. If you aren’t happy with where you are, you can choose where you’re going to be tomorrow. Do this by shifting your priorities and then living your life based on them” – Charlene Johnson https://www.facebook.com/chalene/?fref=ts
3. Have a Plan. How are you going to arrive at your destination if you don’t know how to get there? Making a solid plan in advance is like creating a road map to your objectives. Planning ahead not only leads you down the path to victory, it makes day-to-day detours a little easier to handle too.
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” As most of you know, this is one of my favorite sayings, and it rings true even more so during this time of year. The best way to avoid falling completely off track is to plan ahead of time what you’ll eat and when you’ll exercise. Take a look at your week and pencil in your “can’t-miss” events, then see where you can find some extra time for fitness.” – Jillian Michaels
http://www.jillianmichaels.com
“Sit down with your calendar for the whole month of December, and schedule your workouts in. I know there will be more obligations on your calendar than normal, but making the time to move your body for just 30-60 minutes will make a world of difference as you go through the hustle and bustle of this season.” – Tony Horton http://www.tonyhortonlife.com
“Cook the majority of your meals at home and eat in as much as you can. Plan those menus and get shopping.” – Tony Horton http://www.tonyhortonlife.com
4. Set Goals. Part of making a good plan is setting realistic, specific, and measurable goals.
“Goals are a huge part of staying consistent and sticking with something because it gives you an end to work towards.” “Make sure you schedule time every day to work towards whatever goal you set, but remember that you aren’t trying for perfection just a consistent effort.” – Charlene Johnson www.chalenejohnson.com
5. Track your Food Intake. Tracking your food allows you to see exactly what you’re eating each day. This helps you adjust your eating patterns so you can reach your daily nutritional targets. It is also an important part of accountability.
“Keeping a food journal is one of the best things you can do when following a weight-loss plan. And once you get into a groove, it’s not as much work as you might think.” – Hungry Girl, Lisa Lillien http://www.hungry-girl.com
“It’s SO important to be careful what you put in your body. Make better choices with your food!” – Richard Simmons https://www.facebook.com/TheWeightSaint/?fref=ts
6. Stay Hydrated. You might have heard me mention this a time or two before, but drinking enough water is not only important for your health, it’s also paramount to your successful weight loss. You should drink half your body weight (in lbs) as ounces of water each day, plus hydrate before, during, and after exercising. So for example if you weigh 120 lbs, you’ll need to drink 60 ounces of water throughout your day, or roughly 7.5 glasses of water.
“Drinking water can help you feel full. Often, when you feel hungry, your body is trying to tell you it’s thirsty.”
“Got cravings? Drink some water and usually that craving will go away. And since water has zero calories, think of all those calories you’ll be saving by drinking water instead of caving to your cravings!”
“Water energizes your muscles, which means your workouts will go better, your body will get stronger, and you’ll be able to burn more calories. And don’t forget to drink water before, during, and after exercise. You need to replace all that water you’re sweating away while your well-hydrated muscles are burning all those calories!” – Heidi Powell http://heidipowell.net
7. Commitment. Commitment and accountability are fundamental to your progression. If you want to be rewarded with good results, you need to be committed to seeing things through all of the way.
“Simply put, our peeps keep their promises. If they promise themselves they’ll do thirty minutes of cardio, they do thirty minutes…maybe more. They NEVER stop at twenty-nine minutes. Never. And if we try to pull them off that treadmill at 29 minutes, they’ll shove us out of the way and get right back on!” – Heidi Powell http://heidipowell.net
8. Be Consistent. Consistency goes hand in hand with commitment. Making lifestyle changes that you can live with will help you remain consistent.
“Being consistent means you’re making progress in the right direction, while understanding that there will be some up days and some down days, just like with everything else.” – Charlene Johnson www.chalenejohnson.com
9. Stay Motivated. To keep going every day, you will have to find ways to stay motivated. When you don’t want to work out, do it anyway. If you stumble now and then, don’t throw in the towel completely. If you feel like giving up and quitting, remind yourself why this journey is so important to you. Remember all of the reasons that you started in the first place. Think how sad it would be to lose all of the progress that you’ve already made. Then get back in there and go for it!
“No matter how many times you fall, find the strength to get back up and try again!”
“Remind yourself every day that you CAN do this!!” – Richard Simmons https://www.facebook.com/TheWeightSaint/?fref=ts
“Forget all the reasons why you can’t do it and believe that one reason why you can.” – Chris Powell http://chrispowell.com
10. Have a Good Support System. It’s easier to stay motivated when you have someone who’s there to cheer you on and support your efforts. Don’t waste your time on negative people who do not support your efforts to make your life better. Surround yourself with positive people who genuinely care about your wellbeing. Find at least one person who cares about your success and who will be there to help and encourage you in any way they can.
“Successful promise keepers say their promises and goals out loud and they also write them down. Share yours with those who love and support you, and you’ll be surprised how quickly these supporters become your biggest fans who will move those mountains to help you keep the promises you’ve made to yourself. It’s awesome!” – Heidi Powell http://heidipowell.net
“To me an aspirational friend is someone who when I spend time with them they influence and enhance my decisions to better my life. This is a healthy friend who provides energy and inspiration.” – Charlene Johnson www.chalenejohnson.com
“Surround yourself with those that inspire you and push you to be better.” – Charlene Johnson https://www.facebook.com/chalene/?fref=ts
As always, be strong, stay well and have a beautiful day!
