Our resident fitness expert, Sheila Townsend, examines why so many ‘diets’ fail and the one thing that needs to be in place to ensure success.

Welcome to Motivation Monday!

Mondays are the best because it’s a chance for a fresh start where you can make progress towards any goal you may be pursuing. Today we are going to be talking about the real secret to getting started and the #1 reason why you may not be achieving your goals.

This goal could be for weight loss, getting stronger or it might be something completely different that isn’t even health related.  Whatever it is, the secret is actually the same for all of them.

The one question you need to answer

I had a successful session with my client Jenny who had her second child seven months ago and said that she wanted to lose 20lbs.  We determined in order to do this she needed to change her eating and exercise habits.

Jenny then went on to tell me all of the different diets and plans that she has attempted and failed at in the past.

She told me that the first few days always go well and then by day four or five she starts losing motivation. Before she knows it she has fallen off the wagon.

As we chatted more I went on to explain that this is a common theme with many clients that I start working with.  

The reason this happens to many of us is because we forget to focus on this one key factor.  

Focusing on YOUR why

The real secret to getting started and being successful is figuring out YOUR why.

Without doing this we set ourselves up for failure. I could give Jenny the best program and nutrition plan, but there will never be a true connection there without her WHY.

Determining your why is personal to you. It’s all about what is in it for you. If you do not know what is in it for you, then it’s not really YOUR why.

Let’s go back to Jenny changing her eating and exercise habits to lose weight. Why did she want to do this? Why did she REALLY want to lose weight? Jenny determined said that she really wanted to feel and look better. She elaborated and said she wanted to feel like her ideal self and was tired of feeling lethargic and wanted to change that.

Finding your motivation

We discovered Jenny also wanted to feel better so she could participate in a sport that she used to play. She knew by losing this weight and feeling better it would allow her to do that. Jenny also said it would be amazing if she walked the walk with exercise and sports as an adult.  

This way she would be modelling a great example of how to live a healthy life for her kids.

Now,  “I want to lose weight” is connected with a major purpose.  With her WHY and that makes it so much more powerful and exciting to start this way.

To summarize, YOUR why is, ultimately what will lead you to YOUR how and what. I know the concept seems simple but it is such an important step that we often forget to take the time to think about. Having your why will not prevent the challenges and adversity you will have along the way.

Take the time to understand your unique why to give yourself the confidence and strength to get started. It can also help you deal with any obstacles you encounter from a stronger mindset.

So take a few minutes and think about something you are working on or want to do. Determine what your true WHY is.  If you are honest with yourself, it will provide you with the clarity that you need to stay on track! Let us know in the comments how you discovered your ‘why’.