Reasons you may not be reaching your Fitness Goals.

The New Year is right around the corner and you know what that means, you are feeling pretty confident that this next year will be YOUR year and you will finally reach your weight loss goals. Let’s talk about some reasons you may have not have been successful in reaching your goals and things you can do to be sure you are successful next year.

You start out super motivated but then what happens and why do you not reach your goals and more so, why do you lose that fire? It can be so frustrating when you have great intentions but suddenly they become just that, good intentions. What is the point of all the “work” if you aren’t going to get the results you want? I want next year to be the year you finally reach your goals and best of all, maintain them for life.

Check out 10 reasons why you may not be reaching your weight loss goals. With small changes to your diet, exercise routine and daily lifestyle habits, you can take control and start reaching your goals! Check out my 10 reasons below and see what thing(s) you could do different to get back on track and on your way towards the best you in 2018!

1. Lack of consistency! If you aren’t being consistent with your workouts and nutritional choices, this could be the biggest reason for not seeing results. Success comes from day in and day out efforts! I love the quote from Robert Collier and refer to it all the time! “Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.” It couldn’t be closer to the truth. Success comes from small efforts done consistently, rather than big efforts done once in a while. If you are only exercising a few times a week or following your nutritional plan 50% of the time, that isn’t going to cut it. You are better off to be 90% on your program 7 days a week then 100% for a day then 20% for a few days and repeating that cycle. If you want it bad enough and want results, you will need to be consistent with your efforts both with your workouts and nutrition!
   
2. You aren’t being as strict as you think!! You may be following your plan pretty closely but adding in a little of this or a little of that here and there. Remember that everything adds up. You start off your day with a cup of coffee and habitually eyeball 2 tablespoons of cream. That could easily contribute 50 calories and 5 grams of fat. For your snack, you grab a handful of almonds because almonds are on your plan. Rather than count or weigh your serving, you just grab what you think is a serving, when in actuality you grabbed 2 servings. This can add an additional 150 calories and over 10 grams of fat! For lunch you have your lean protein and ask for olive oil and vinegar on the side. You eye ball your allotted vinegar and tablespoon of olive oil and sure enough are heavy on your pour and double your serving of oil, adding an additional 14 grams of fat and 120 calories. You do great at your next meal having your scoop of protein but then dinner rolls around and you again eyeball your lean protein and brown rice and add anther 150 calories! Before bedtime you have a sweet tooth and go for a handful of healthy unsweetened carob chips, adding an additional 100 calories and 4 grams of fat. These unconscious additions to your plan can easily add an additional 5-600 calories and 35 grams of fat! Now can you imagine if you did this every day! You can easily add an additional 3500 calories/week, which is equivalent to 1 pound! Even though you may be working out harder or more often you can see how your nutritional choices can be canceling out the calories you are burning and keeping you at a stand still! Reaching your goals is going to take mindfulness and being aware of all your choices! A little bit of this or that, even if it is healthy, can all add up and end up hurting your progress! You might not be realizing it because you are eating what is on your plan but even healthy foods can sure add up! Be mindful and aware of everything you are putting in your mouth.
3. Change it up! You don’t have variety in your workouts! You may think you are smarter than your body but in actuality your body is smarter than you think! It gets use to doing the same things and will adapt quickly! You have to constantly be changing up your workout routine to keep your body guessing and therefore responding! We tend to get stuck in doing the same things and this could be what is holding you back. It is important to change up all areas of your training from the exercises you do, reps you perform or cardio time and type. My suggestion is to change up your rep range, exercises, hand positioning, machines (or lack of) and intensity. One day you may do more isolated workouts while another day circuit style with no weight at all. Switch up not only the type of workouts but your environment. Change up your routine and go from the gym to the track or even hit up a yoga class or the pool to really add in some variety! Not only does adding variety to your workouts keep your body responding, it keeps your mind in the game and motivated to try new things! Variety is the Spice of Life.
4. Bye Bye Scale. You are focusing too much on the scale! Put your scale away and stop letting it determine your mood or measure your success! Getting frustrated by the numbers on the scale can cause unnecessary stress that can lead to increased cortisol! Cortisol has been termed the “stress hormone” because excess cortisol is secreted during times of physical or physiological stress. It has been shown to cause an increase of fat in the abdominal area and also an increase of appetite. You see how this simple step onto the scale can cause a domino effect that can hurt your weight loss efforts! Measure your progress by how your clothes fit, how you look and most of all how you feel! Remember, just because the scale is not moving does NOT mean you are not moving in the right direction. The scale is NOT a true indication of your progress! Start using your own set of eyes and your own instincts to learn your body and listen to the signs your body gives you. If you are following your plan and being consistent with your efforts, I promise you, all of your hard work is paying off.
5. Too much cardio and not enough weight lifting!It is common to think that lifting weights can add unnecessary size and bulk and cardio will help trim you down but this couldn’t be farthest from the truth. Weight training will not only help shape your body and give you the beautiful curves you are looking for but add nice lean muscle. The more lean muscle you have the faster your metabolism and therefore the faster you will lose body fat. There is no other way to do this than to be consistent with weight training, a healthy diet and a realistic amount of cardio. Cardio is an essential component but not the only component! Doing endless amounts of cardio can potentially break down muscle tissue and therefore cause a decrease in metabolism and slow down fat loss. Focus on your weight training and diet and use cardio as a secondary source of exercise but do not use cardio as a sole means of fat loss! Combine both weight training and a reasonable amount of cardio to obtain the results you are looking for! Better yet, to make the most out of your time do circuit training combining both weights and cardio into one fat blasting workout.
6. Mindset. This is a HUGE variable so many people forget about. You have to have the right mindset when you start a weight loss program. You have to 100% believe in yourself and trust the process. People are so quick to want results within a few days of effort but that is not reality. When they don’t see results, they give up and lose that fire to keep pushing forward. It takes time and patience while keeping a positive mindset in the process. If you lose that positive mindset, your results will slow down and eventually stop. The minute you give up on yourself or start to think that your efforts aren’t working, they will. You have to stay positive and trust that what you are doing is working. If you are putting in the efforts and being consistent with them, you will get results, promise! Don’t be so hard on yourself. Trust the process and don’t stop!
7. Accountability and Support. Do you have a tribe that supports you? Reaching your goals and keeping your fire lit means surrounding yourself around people that are likeminded and believe in you! Having those around you that help push you or pick you up when you fall, will make all the difference in reaching your goals. When you have the accountability and support, anything is possible. Knowing you are not alone is a huge part of what will keep you going. We all have struggles and need the extra TLC from others to keep digging deeper. Whether you are a beginner and starting your fitness journey or have been on your journey for some time, surrounding yourself by people who understand and are there for you will keep you going and inspire you dig deeper than you ever knew possible.

   

8. Less is More & Quality over Quantity. People think that you have to go crazy or be extreme to reach your goals. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Doing too much can be what is holding you back. Your body needs rest but also your mind. Doing less but doing less more often can be much more beneficial than going to extremes and then risking falling off. It is important to focus on quality over quantity and having a less is more approach to whatever it is you are doing. No matter what it is you are doing, focus on quality with your efforts. If you lift weights, focus less on how much you are lifting and the quality of your life. When it comes to cardio, focus on the quality of your cardio vs. the amount of cardio. We have been told that no pain = no gain or more is always better. What if I told you that less is actually better and will yield better results? Yes, this has been my mantra and years of no gym training and focusing on quality (over quantity) with each and every workout has proven that this method works. Change your mindset and try a different approach. If all you have is 10 minutes to workout, make it the best 10 minutes of the day and give every ounce of you. This mindset will deliver results, keep your body in amazing shape and mind in the game because it isn’t an all or nothing approach.

   

9. Keep it FUN! If you aren’t having fun, it isn’t worth doing. If your workouts aren’t fun, if your diet isn’t fun, you will get burned out lose that fire. In order to keep your fire lit, you have to be sure your workouts are FUN and you get excited to show up and give your all. When something stops being fun, that is when you know you need to change it up and try something new. I am a firm believer in monthly challenges because they keep things FUN and reignite your fire when it starts to fade. Come up with fun ways to challenge yourself and keep it FUN! There are so many ways to make fitness and living a healthy lifestyle FUN! If it isn’t fun, it wont last so have FUN with your workouts, food and challenge yourself in new ways to keep your goals fresh and exciting.

   

10. Be Realistic. This is a big one. Your life, your situation, your goals change and so do your efforts. What may have been realistic at one time in your life may not be anymore. Stop trying to make a square fit into a circular hole. Change things up and find new ways that work with your life. There was a time in my life when I had the time to go to the gym and do double days. I didn’t have a family and I was competing. That was my focus. Once I had kids and goals changed, so did my training. Rather than trying to fight where you are in life, adjust and be flexible. You can still reach your goals by changing your methods. Once you take a step back and are realistic with yourself about the time you do or don’t have and the ways you are going about your methods, you will see that maybe you need to change things up so that they work for where you are in your life. NO matter where I have been in my journey, being realistic and flexible has been key. My efforts don’t change but the methods do. ContentGym Days vs. No Gym Home Workouts, Flexible Training

I hope that these tips shed some light and help you pinpoint areas that may need a bit more attention. When you understand where you may be lacking or areas you may see a void, you can make changes to ensure success!

I want you to be successful in 2018 and can promise if you take these tips to heart, you will find that this year truly IS YOUR YEAR to reach your goals and maintain them for life!

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