Start by asking “How awesome do I want to feel?”
I know that you want to feel awesome in your body. You want to move it around and feel all sexy and not have to worry about a slight bulge here or a roll there.
Who doesn’t want that? We all want that but the gosh darn truth is that it requires quite a bit of effort to reach that level of bodily awesomeness.
Despite the difficulty to achieve such success, there is a way to do it, multiple ways in fact, but today we’re going to focus on two things, that if you take the time to do, can set you on the path that will lead you toward your level of success — because we all have different levels, different expectations, and different resources available to us.
What I’m offering up are the broad strokes that will help you define, and focus your efforts in a constructive manner. And they’re solid tips, I promise. I don’t fill your head with fluff… these can help because they’ve helped me.
But alas, it’s ultimately up to you to decide how to approach achieving that awesome body that you would love to live in!
#1: Don’t set goals. Create an action plan.
Goals are great, but anyone can set a goal. The real payoff lies in being able to go after that goal with intention and consistency.
Goals are pure fantasy unless you have a specific plan to achieve them — Steven R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
If you want to lose weight, you can tell me that those 20 pounds will come off, but I’m not convinced until I hear your detailed plan and understand how far you’re willing to go to make it a reality.
The hard truth is you need to be willing to get uncomfortable, create self-discipline, experiment with new habits, and live with intention if you’re serious about seeing results.
An action plan doesn’t involve “winging it”, and it doesn’t cater to excuses. And yes, it can be flexible because life is never certain, but it must exist in order for you to create results. Results are the most important aspect, if we don’t have them we get discouraged, and we don’t get them by sheer luck. We get them with clear and consistent action.
So, what does your action plan look like?
#2: Pay attention to your current habits, they’re sneaky effers!
Those little things you do here and there (like picking at your kid’s leftovers instead of making yourself a healthy meal — having a glass of wine every night — waiting until the end of the day to get in a workout only to cancel on yourself) add up!
These little habits and “easy zones” are where 40% of our lives live. Pay attention to these little critters because they feed off each other, one created on the back of another, like gremlins!
An easy way to figure out where to begin is to notice where you’re feeling the most resistance. The more unwilling you are to change up a habit, the more attention it needs from you.
And it’s important to realize the time it will take for a new habit to form — it will not happen overnight, in fact, it may take months of reinforcement. (Not what you want to hear, but we’re all adults here, we can face the facts. After all, these little bad habits took time as well — but they were easy because they didn’t require commitment and hard work. Instead, they provided a way out, an excuse, and comfort.)
Your turn…
It’s quite simple to get yourself started when you take the time to focus on how you want to feel, create an action plan and pay attention to what you do on a daily basis.
Now I know it may not feel good or easy to give up certain comforts that you’ve gotten used to, but (tough love moment) it’s what needs to be done in order to create a body full of awesomeness that you love.
Create your action plan, and pick one sneaky bad habit you’re going to work on improving… and share this all with a friend because that’s what will get you to follow through on those days you’d rather not.
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If you need help creating an action plan, perhaps my free 14-Day Challenge is just the thing to get you started!
AM Costanzo is a wellness coach, a motivational junkie, loves a-ha moments, and loves to help people feel strong, powerful, and downright fabulous in body and mind!
