Small Changes, Big Results

New Year’s Resolution season is fast approaching – which is like Black Friday for the fitness industry.  People everywhere look in the mirror and decide they need to lose weight, immediately.  They decide they’re going to hit the gym every day, start cutting food groups out of their diet, vow never to eat bread again… all because they want to lose weight. People frequently attempt to make all of these changes at once, assuming that “willpower” will carry the day.

This may work for a few days or weeks.  But, because we’re human, things sometimes start to give. The work schedule may not allow daily trips to the gym. A few dinners out lead to less-than-optimal food choices, and the doughnuts that someone left in the break room are too good to pass up. The numbers on the scale start to stagnate – or move in the wrong direction – and before you know it, that Year’s resolution is a distant memory.

I think that the reason that so many people start fitness programs – but fail to see them through – is because they view them as a means to an end, rather than the lifestyle transformation that they should be. Staying in shape is a never-ending process that develops and changes over time. You experiment with foods, figure out which ones work best for you and try out different recipes to figure out what you like. Your workouts change over time as well - maybe you’ll start with a cardio-based program, add in some running, and then focus on strength training to improve your upper body strength. Goals may change, but your commitment to health and fitness should never waiver.

Transforming your life is never easy, and you need to accept that you can’t change everything all at once. Some changes you want to implement may not work at the end of the day. It takes time to develop a nutrition plan that really suits your metabolism. And, occasionally you’ll have a bad day or week, miss a workout, overeat at Thanksgiving… it happens. But if you commit to making small changes each day to improve your life, in time you’ll see a huge transformation in your appearance, your energy level and your mindset. It takes time, patience and determination, and it doesn’t happen overnight.

So, if you’ve resolved to lose weight in 2014 – hold that thought. Instead, resolve to develop a healthy and sustainable lifestyle that will bring you great returns over time.