We all know someone who has bought a fitness program or pack, perhaps from an infomercial promising a six pack within weeks, a range of expensive meal replacement shakes or gym membership, only to have given up on the program or put the weight back on at a later date.

In some cases this is simply because the product was rubbish and deserved to collect dust in the corner. It is also possible that there was an absence of one or more of the three key practices.

To obtain and maintain discipline, self-control and consistency we need to plan ahead and learn from our mistakes. We need to identify when a program isn’t working for us and adapt.

It is ok to make mistakes, after all that is how we can learn to be better. But if we don’t learn from our mistakes we are setting ourselves up for failure.

If and when you do have a day when you stray from the health plan, avoid sinking into unhelpful negative self-talk along the lines of “I can’t stick to anything” and “what is the point?”. Rather than beat yourself up, consider why the program has not worked for you, perhaps you need some help and guidance from a professional who knows what does and doesn’t work or can coach you past the negative self-talk. Perhaps you need some help to make the process more enjoyable.

Renowned author, speaker and peak performance strategist Tony Robbins tell us

“People are not lazy, they simply have impotent goals. That is…goals that do not inspire them.”

It may be the case that you need more compelling goals that inspire you to stay focused and moving forward. Find and write down inspirational and compelling reasons that give you clarity on why you want to achieve your goals.

Consider having small and big goals. A small goal could be to simply cut out added sugar from your diet or reduce the number of coffees you drink each day. Once you learn to have discipline in small goals, this will grow into larger and larger goals which you will set on your path to a healthier lifestyle.

Consistency is defined as ”maximizing shared rules across tasks”. If losing excess weight is your issue, always remember that it did not take you a month to gain those extra 10 – 15 kilos. It probably took several years to pack them on, so it sure will not come off in a month! Be patient and see the results happen.

To help you stay focused, try keeping a journal and even take pictures or use a video to document your fitness journey to see how you evolve. This will help you stick to your program better by witnessing the amazing changes and how your body is evolving.

Lastly, if weight loss is your goal, learn to change the word from “diet” to “lifestyle”. “Diet” means temporary and will always end in failure. Once the old habits come back, so does the extra weight. So, by achieving your small goals one by one, you can train your mind and body for a lifestyle change.

As it has often been said, failing to plan is planning to fail. When you feel uninspired, speak to your coach who can work with you to regain clarity and create an action plan. Self-control really boils down to knowing why you want it with absolute clarity and wanting it bad enough so that you are pulled not pushed to achieve the lifestyle and health you aspire to.

Fitness Revolution Mobile Personal Training & Group Fitness Belmont & Surrounds