Lasting Change, 5 Steps to Success!

Ah, summer. Hey, remember at the beginning of the year when some of you made those New Year's resolutions to stop smoking, lose weight, exercise more, think positively… and on and on? And then, remember how easy it was to slide back into old patterns about six days later? Hmm. Change is big. It's scary. But we're more than halfway into the year and I'm here to tell you, you don't want to hit January again with the same resolution. How boring. How tedious. How last year!

What to do? Put one foot in front of the other, for a start. You need to lose weight? Exercise more. You need to think positively? Give yourself a mirror mantra every day. You need to quit smoking? Buy yourself some nicotine gum.

Change starts in small ways. I'm not expecting you to be smoke free by the end of tomorrow. Nor do I think you'll have dropped those stubborn 10 pounds by Thursday or looked in the mirror and found out you all of a sudden look exactly like Demi Moore or Ashton Kusher (who does?!). What I do expect is every day you're on your way to accomplishing your goals—whatever they may be.

I know what you're thinking. Believe me, I do. And this time of year is the perfect time to get motivated to make those changes. The weather's great and you've got friends coming round for barbecues in the backyard—use them. They're your support group!

Here's some helpful tips to take those steps to your daily dose of change:

1. Devote at least 15 minutes a day to your change. Even if it's just a walk around your neighborhood, one cigarette less, or going to the library and reading a career resource guide, do it. Mix it up, too. For instance, no one wants to be stuck doing some tedious workout regime. It makes it seem so much more miserable, doesn't it? So pick up the paddle ball set, the tennis rackets or the Frisbee and go spend time with your family.

2. Fork over the truth. Until I decided to get honest with myself about why I was reaching for chips instead of taking healthy risks, I thought it was all about the food. In reality, I was getting a huge payoff for stuffing food down my face—I got to play it safe. What's your payoff for not changing? Until you can get real, you'll never be able to stick with your plan. Behavior modification teaches us that we repeat behavior that makes us feel good. What that means to you is until the goal becomes larger than the payoff, you're always going to choose feeling good over feeling uncomfortable.

3. Set realistic goals. Instead of concentrating on losing 20 pounds in 20 days, make it simply to begin by eating five fruits and vegetables a day for five days. I truly believe that good choices lead to more good choices (unfortunately it works the other way, too!). Don’t expect an overnight miracle or body transformation. Rather, spend time developing this new pattern of behavior before adding anything else to your plate; in other words, one behavior at a time. Too many of us live in the all or nothing round. "I'll only eat healthy foods, exercise daily and look for a new career—all at the same time." I don't think so.

4. Never eliminate. Replace.  If your goal includes eliminating a specific behavior, it must be replaced with a new behavior if you want permanent change. If we don't substitute a behavior, we end up creating a big void that leads to obsessive thinking, which eventually leads to falling back into old patterns.

5. Create a supportive environment. Very few people are able to get where they're going on their own. We all need encouragement and support throughout our journey of change. For you, maybe that's a friend to hold you accountable or a group that is likeminded in where they want to go. There is power in numbers, and we can use this to our advantage.

I won't kid you—change isn't easy. Yet it's something you can achieve as long as you're not looking for the quick-fix but are willing to make daily choices that will bring you lasting results. Sure, some days you'll have setbacks, but that doesn't mean it's time to throw in the towel. It's simply an opportunity to recommit yourself to your goal. Have fun with it!

Get on the fast track to achieving your health and fitness goals with THRIVE from Set The Bar Fitness.  THRIVE offers comprehensive workouts with very talented trainers in a very supportive team environment. This program includes nutrition advice as well as three 1 hour sessions per week. Our summer sessions are filling up so call us today at 402-316-5531 or CLICK HERE and get your free fitness consultation today!

Todd Uhlir
Set The Bar Fitness
todd@nobsfitcoach.com