To become successful in accomplishing any fitness goal you just have to do two seemingly simple things. Don’t miss workouts and don’t cheat on your nutrition plan. That’s it. That’s all you have to do. I promise.
Even if your workouts are not the best designed and your diet plan is less than ideal, the commitment to never missing a workout or cheating on your diet will almost always produce results.
Granted, the details or design of your workout/nutrition plan are important in maximizing your gains (or loss). But really, the commitment to not missing workouts or cheating on your nutrition plan is the resounding factor that determines success in my mind.
It all comes back to discipline. You see, even though it sounds simple, sticking to a plan and never straying from it is very, very hard. It takes willpower and its takes determination.
Generally, people will start a new fitness routine and be very excited. Adrenaline will be flowing and dreams of a perfect body will be at the forefront of the mind. At the beginning, going to workouts and eating right may even be anticipated.
However, after a course of a few weeks or months the motivation will slowly wear off. Workouts and diet plans will seem more like a task. The excitement that was there in the beginning is gone and people forget what they’re working so hard for. Excuses kick in and phrases like “I’ll do it tomorrow” and “Just this once won’t hurt anything” start to creep in.
People end up blowing off workouts and cheating on their diet. The more they do this the less motivated they become and eventually they give up, often looking the exact same as when they started.
I’ve seen this cycle too many times. In fact, I’ve had it happen to myself before. The truth is, for the majority of people this gradual lack of commitment is the reason they can never seem to succeed.
Don’t get me wrong, having a sound workout and diet plan is important however, those come a dime a dozen. You can find good workouts and diet plans in books or all over the internet.
Commitment is the real determinant of success. It doesn’t matter if you are trying to gain muscle or burn commit and follow through and you will succeed. (This is true not just for fitness goals, but life goals in general).
So after coming up with a good fitness plan, tell yourself over and over again “All I have to do is not miss workouts and not cheat on my diet”. Say it when you wake up and say it when you go to bed. Write it down and keep it in your wallet or purse. If you can actually follow through with it you may be surprised in how much your body has transformed.
