100% Guaranteed Way to Fail:

I’ve been doing this a long time so I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t.  This doesn’t make me better or smarter than anyone; it just means I’ve observed many people try to be more healthy and fit.  Few succeed. Exponentially more fail.  This is a harsh reality, but a reality nonetheless.

And one of the things I’ve noticed is that a GREAT way to fail is to try to accomplish your goals quickly.  

Look for the short term, quick fix.  This is the 100% guaranteed way to not get what you want.

If I’ve learned one thing over the years it’s this: There is no short term, quick fix solution.

Not one. 

Never has been, never will be.

If you are looking for an easy, short cut way to your fitness goals I can tell you unequivocally it…does…not…exist.

The people who achieve great successes in the exercise realm are invariably people who seek and attain small, incremental improvements over time.  When consistently applied, the philosophy and application of simply just improving a little bit at a time adds up much more quickly than you think.

People who succeed:

• Understand it takes time, patience and perseverance.
• Think long term
• Stay focused on the goal
• Measure their progress against where they were and where they are now
• Run their own race and compete against themselves
• Exercise and move deliberately, making sure each rep and set is perfect

People who DO NOT succeed:

• Try to do more than they can both in the gym and with their eating habits.
• Think “what can I do in the next “X” number of days?” (i.e., "I'm going to lose 10 pounds in 10 days!)
• Change just for changes’ sake
• Measure their progress by an arbitrary number like “I can bench press X pounds…” “I want to weigh X pounds…”
• Compare their successes and failures to those of others – in most cases very apples and oranges
• Mistake activity for accomplishment and improvement

The late great coach John Wooden once said: “Don’t look for the big quick improvement.  Seek the small improvement one day at a time.  That’s the only way it happens - and when it happens it lasts.”

Great advice coach – that’s been my observational experience as well.