The Successful Fitness Program

I have heard many different reasons over the years for failed fitness programs. In fact, way too many to even list. My personal opinion is that most people give up way too easily. However, who can blame them with all the misinformation out there. All the fads, gimmicks and over night miracles are enough to confuse anyone. I mean these weight loss companies spend millions of dollars on advertising their products just to take advantage of an already vulnerable consumer. Remember the old adage - If its too good to be true, it probably is. Here are some things that will actually help you reach your fitness goals without getting sucked into one of these scams.

1. Planning - I think this is actually where most people go wrong. You need to plan out your whole fitness program. Most people jump right in without any sort of game plan. They think if they cut some calories and throw in some exercising here and there they will be successful. Lets face it, if it was that easy, everyone would be lean and fit. What you really need to do is write down your whole program. Start by writing down a list of all the good foods that you enjoy. You will be more likely to stick to your diet if you actually enjoy the foods that you're eating. Prepare all your meals ahead of time so they are ready to go when you need them. I usually make most of my meals for the week on Sunday night. Preparing your meals ahead of time will make it easier for you to eat healthy throughout the week. Next, schedule those meals every 2.5 to 3 hours to keep your metabolism high. Just make sure you design a time schedule that you know you can stick to. As far as your exercise program goes, pick specific days and times to schedule your workouts and stick to that schedule. Even if you dont feel like you have the energy on certain days, working out will energize you and make you feel like a million bucks.

2. Support=Motivation - Make sure you let all your family and friends know how important getting fit and healthy is to you and that you would appreciate their help and support along the way. Having the daily support of family and friends will help keep you on track by supplying you with the much needed motivation necessary to stick to your program and therefore guarantee success. If you find that you need some professional motivation to keep you going, hire an experienced, certified personal trainer.

3. More Resistance Training/Less cardio - Thats right-No more 60 minute cardio sessions. If you want to shed fat and re-shape your body, the most effective way to do this is with resistance training. Resistance training, or weight training, will give you that lean muscle tissue which will super boost your metabolism and turn your body into a fat scorching machine. This lean muscle will re-sculpt your whole body by giving you that lean, toned look that you're looking for. You should still include some type of cardio training in your fitness program to strengthen your heart and lungs and help you burn off some extra calories. To get the most bang for your buck, do 20 minutes of high intensity interval cardio training 3 times per week after your resistance training.

4. Compound-Total Body Exercises - When doing your resistance training try to incorporate more compound or total body exercises into your routine. By using these instead of single joint exercises, you will be working more muscles and burning more body fat in a shorter amount of time which will accelerate your results.

5. Accountability - This one is so important. Hold yourself accountable for your fitness program. You hold your own fate. Its your responsibility to make sure you stick to your game plan and stay on track. You must truly want this in order to succeed. Start by writing down a list of short-term and long-term goals and make sure you read them every day. By doing this you will be constantly reminding yourself how important this is to you and making you, and only you, accountable for the outcome.

Follow these simple steps and I guarantee that your new body will be waiting for you right around the corner.