4 Fit Fem Tips To Setting Goals for 2013

New Years is just a few days away and I know that some of you have already thought about your resolutions for 2013.

But here’s what annoys the crap outa me – (disclaimer – I tend to rant, you’ll either love me or hate me for it) – you set your resolutions, ya know, your goals for 2013 but never follow through. And you do this every single, freakin’ year. AHHHH

I can totally predict your resolutions too! “I need to join a gym”, “I need to lose X lbs”, “I need to eat salads more”, BLAH BLAH BLAH. It’s always the same every year. Why? Because you never follow through and that’s the harsh reality. You fail because you rely on will power and you have an all or nothing attitude. And you set unrealistic expectations for yourselves. See, it never works out for you because you use the same methods to set up your goals year in and year out. 

Got a sad face? Because you know what I just told you is TRUTH. How can we turn this around? No fear, this Fit Fem will give you some tips to help you set up your fitness goals.

Exercise your brain first: Prepare your mind for the year to come. Use visualization techniques to help you see the results you want as it is NOW rather than look at your goals as something in the future. When goals are seen as something in the future, it stays in the future and is never accomplished. To be successful, you have to make sure your mind is right. Are you really ready for this?  Is this something that you are willing to commit to? Can you exercise most days of the week and eat right? Yes you can, but if you are not mentally ready or prepared, you will fail. Prepare to fail if you’ve failed to prepare.

Don’t lie to yourself: Be honest and evaluate your past goals and what you were able to accomplish. Take a look at your habits. Did you tend to give up after a week, a month…or have you been consistent in your efforts? Awareness is your best ammunition. Once you know what your bad habits are, and you are completely honest about them, then you can make small changes to help break those bad habits leading to your success in goal competition.

Know what you want, not just what you don’t want: So a lot of us tend to say, “I don’t want to be fat” or “I don’t want to eat like sh*t”. Instead say to yourself, “I love my body enough to create a healthy lifestyle through sound fitness and nutrition. “Ahh doesn’t that sound so much better to you. It’s positive and it’s loving. Choose your words and thoughts wisely when you do set up your goals.  I also like to use Vision Boards, and diaries. Write your goals down and brainstorm what small actions steps you will take. Make them short-term, mini- goals. Your first goal can be 15 pounds and then after that another 15. And if that seems to large of a goal, try " I will replace sugar and creamer in my coffee with Stevia and Almond Milk" for 1 month. You'll see all these little changes you make  add up.

Do it already!  NIKE got it right, yo!!  Don’t just talk about your goals, but live it! Believe in yourself and just do it!

Hope this helped ya’ll out! WHOOP WHOOP!

Keeping the fun in fitness!

Your fit fem personal trainer and expert in women's only fitness, Syl

Three Reasons Why You Are Not Losing Weight

Any female can attest to the countless attempts to weight loss. It happens at some point in our lives- we say, “Oh man, need to just lose these few lbs.”  With your determined by, you give yourself a start date, you still to it for about two days, then five days later you are back to your old ways and bad habits. What happened? Well, these attempts do not make you weak or undetermined.  Let me help you understand why this happens more often than not.

Latest statistics prove that one in three young people begin a “diet” each month, almost half (45% actually) give up after a week and the other half give up on their goals within a month. The study also shows that these people yo-yo diet every six months rather than committing to one plan.

As a fitness professional, I see women struggle to lose weight (at one time I was one of them) and then give up on their goals completely. It happens quite often. Here’s why:

You DIET: You pick some diet, lose weight and then gain it all back. The key to weight loss is not to diet, but to change your lifestyle.  I hate actually the word DIET. I also hate diet pills or any exercise gadget/cream promising you the world of weight loss. You cannot depend on a quick fix! You have to learn how to eat properly and exercise consistently. It takes time but if done the healthy way, the weight loss will  be more likely to kept off for good.

You have an all or nothing attitude: So you worked out like crazy all week, ate right, then went on the scale and lost nothing. Of course you get frustrated but that doesn't mean you should give up. It’s like you are so close but you throw in the towel because of your impatience. Or how about when you diet for so long you’re good streak is over once you give yourself that “cheat meal”? You  end up cheating FOREVER and old habits revert. Weight loss is a journey. It is going to take time. It takes years of bad habits to get the body out of shape, so it will take a great amount of time, dedication, patience, and flexibility to get back in shape. Just hang in there and keep going!

You have no support: Do your family members  always push food on you (a little won't hurt)? It’s all out of love right? Or what about that one friend who is always putting down your efforts? Chances are that’s jealousy seeping. At times it is the company we keep that holds us back from reaching our fitness goals. Whether it's bad habits or negative attitudes, it can stop us from moving forward. So before you start your fitness journey, shed the weight of jerks in your life!

Remember these tips but most importantly don't give up on yourself! You got this! 

Can I get a Whoop Whoop?

Keeping the fun in fitness!

Your fit fem personal trainer and expert in women's only fitness, Syl