FOCUS – part one (Your Goals)

A lot of the stuff I post here will be about nutrition because it is by far one of the MOST IMPORTANT PARTS of any fitness & health program. It is the most determining factor in what shapes your body and what you are going to look like. Whether you want to lose weight/bodyfat or gain weight/build muscle, I don't care how hard you train, what kind of workout routine or discipline you do (cross-fit, boot camp, yoga/pilates, cardio/aerobics, etc), you will not see progress in the way you look if you don't get your nutrition under control. However, this time I'm not writing about another nutritional tip. What I truly believe is the MOST IMPORTANT PART, even more than nutrition, but what is often overlooked or not emphasized enough, is FOCUS. Now focus is all-encompassing, I want you to look at it from the broadest perspective (your goals) all the way down to the narrowest perspective (your next rep). First, I will go over the big picture and how to stay focused on reaching and attaining your goals.

Staying focused on attaining and reaching your goals I believe is the most important part of any health and fitness program. What good is a great plan or program if you don’t actually do it? A lot of times people get distracted by any or all of “LIFE’s” problems and they end up quitting, or even just settling and doing just enough to avoid going backwards, but they never actually reach their goals. Focusing on your fitness & health should be a TOP Priority in your life. There have been countless studies done showing that the more fit & healthy you are, the better life experiences you will have whether it be at your work or home/social life. It makes sense. For Example, exercise builds muscle and increases blood flow and blood flow increases mental clarity because more oxygen is delivered to the brain…this is bound to help you out at work. Feeling good, having more energy, being strong, & having more confidence transfers over in everything you do. Now, I’m not going to draw out all the negative side effects of being unhealthy, overweight, and out of shape. We all know or should know the dangers and negative things associated with being in that condition. If you are not at your goal and are struggling to reach them, I want you to start Focusing on Visualizing how you would FEEL, how you would LOOK, how much more CONFIDENCE you would have if you were in great fitness shape (WOW! Amazing Potential huh). Got you Focused!?!? Great, write it down! Now post it where you can see it daily. That way anytime you start to lose that focus, it will help get you back on track. Like I said, this should be a TOP Priority in your life. Trust me, you will be a lot better version of yourself in whatever or anything that you do. So why wouldn’t that be a top priority. Now start prioritizing your fitness and health options.

Things to help you stay focused on your goals.

- Ask yourself WHY… (to be there for your children, to think more clearly, to become a confident person…what is your why) the real reason other than just to “lose weight.”
-Write it down and post it where you can see it daily

o Make sure in that goal, you include something that can be measured (body weight, body fat, lift a certain amount of weight, etc.) that way you can measure and see progress.
 

- Prioritize a time to workout and do it
o Start small if you are beginner (2-3 times/week) then build up to working out or doing something physically active every day.

- Make it a priority to make healthier food choices & track your calories

- Invest in tracking apps or devices (fit-bit, myfitnesspal)

o These are great tools to use to track progress and really help keep the interest level and motivation high to stay focused on your goals. Great win for weekly and daily goals. Many of the apps are free to download on your smartphone & they sync with each other too.

- Surround yourself with like-minded people, food, or things
o Join a gym, fitness facility, or fitness group
o Fill your fridge & pantry with healthy food options
o Like fitness & health pages on Facebook or social media

OK now you’re motivated and you’re probably asking yourself when is the best time to start?….. NOW!!! If you have not started to focus on your goals there is no other better time than NOW! There will always be some kind of excuse that will try to distract you from your goal. “I don’t have time, I have to work, my kid has soccer practice, my finances, it’s raining outside……..” These are all just distractions that can be worked around. You have to remember you yourself are your most important investment and valuable asset. Like I said before, a fitter, healthier, more confident version of you will transfer over into anything that you do.

Some of you will immediately think of how long it will take to reach your “goal.” i.e. “I have tried many times before but didn’t get results fast enough so I just gave up trying anymore.” It takes time to reach your goals. Lots of people give up because they’re focused on the wrong thing. They focus too much on the outcome and not the process it takes to get there. A goal is just a marker and it is meant to move and change as you progress. Learn to focus on the process it takes to reach your goals. Much of the list written above is done daily. Keep your focus on the process, embrace the process, I promise you the more times you accomplish them and the more consistent you are in completing those daily tasks, the more likely you will start enjoying yourself……and you will reach your goals regardless of how little or long it takes. You are in control of your actions, you are not in control of the outcome(life happens). But the more actions you take, the better your outcome will be. For most people, their fitness and health goals actually can be reached in 3 to 6 months, or even a year. If you think about it, even a year is a small amount of time to be really focused and to reach your goals, compared to the rest of your life. You have your whole life ahead of you. How do you want to spend it? Stay FOCUSED! - BZ