Monday, June 6, 2011

Are You Achieving Your Fitness Goals?

Spartan Training Newsletter:
Are You Achieving Your Fitness Goals?

Do you have unmet goals?
You aren't alone. In fact, many people live
with unfulfilled aspirations and the self-help industry is booming.
Unfortunately, many widely used self-help techniques fail to deliver
results.
Case in point: You've probably heard of the "Yale Goal Study"
in which researchers were said to have interviewed the graduating Yale seniors
in 1953, asking whether or not the students had written down specific goals that
they wanted to achieve. Then twenty years down the road the researchers looked
up each student and discovered that the 3% of the class who had written down
their goals had accumulated more personal wealth than the other 97% combined.

Very compelling story, but complete fiction.

The "Yale Goal
Study" never happened, though motivational speakers and self-help books have
quoted it for years.

Best selling author and psychologist Richard
Wiseman went on a mission to craft a no-nonsense response to the bogus self-help
techniques. Using a diverse range of scientific data he uncovered a proven
approach to achieve any goal.

The following 5 successful techniques (Do
This) and 5 unsuccessful techniques (Not That) are from Wiseman's book, 59
Seconds Change Your Life in Under a Minute.

Do This: Make a
Step-by-Step Plan.

If you are serious about achieving your goal,
then you need to create a step-by-step plan on how to do it.

Successful
goal-achievers break down their overall goal into sub-goals. Each sub-goal needs
to be concrete, measurable and time-based.
  • Not That: Motivate yourself by focusing on someone that you
    admire.

    Studies show that focusing on someone you admire is not a
    strong enough motivator to see you through your goal.
Do This: Tell Other People About Your Goal.
How badly do
you want to achieve your goal? If you want it bad enough, you'll tell your
friends and family.

This technique works on two levels. First, you've
put yourself on the spot by letting the world in on your goal, so it's
all-eyes-on-you. Failure would be public. Second, your friends and family are
there to offer support and encouragement. Don't underestimate the psychological
power of having someone in your corner.
  • Not That: Think about the bad things.
    When you focus on
    the negative it becomes your reality.
Do This: Focus on the Good Things When Achieving Your Goal.

Remind yourself of the benefits associated with achieving your goal.

Make a checklist of how life will be better once you have achieved your
aim. This gets your focus on a positive future, one that's worth the effort.
  • Not That: Try to suppress unhelpful thoughts.
    Rather
    than trying to erase that image of chocolate cake from your mind, learn to deal
    with the reality of temptation head-on.
Do This: Reward Your Progress.
Studies show that
attaching rewards to each of your sub-goals encourages success.

Your
rewards should never conflict with your major goal. When aiming to lose weight,
never use food as a reward.
  • Not That: Rely on willpower.
    Willpower alone rarely gets
    anyone to their goal.
Do This: Record Your Progress.
Make your plans, progress,
benefits and rewards concrete by expressing them in writing.

Use a
hand-written journal, your computer or a bulletin board to chart your progress.
This process is priceless for maintaining motivation.
  • Not That: Fantasize about life after achieving your goal.Daydreaming is fun, but simply fantasizing about your new life will not make
    it a reality.
Are you ready to achieve your fitness and weight loss goal once and for all?
Call or email me now to get started on the process that will put an end to your
yo-yo dieting and your fat jeans.

Now is your time to get into the best
shape of your life.

Just A Few Minutes
Are you a chronic procrastinator? Do you put off going to the gym? Research shows that by spending 'just a few minutes' doing the dreaded task you'll feel an urge to see it through completion. These initial few minutes of activity create an anxious brain that refuses to rest until the job is done.