Winning The Resolution Game: Kickstart Your Transformation

Like everyone else, I was always making resolutions to "get fit". Like most people, I always started with the best of intentions, but "life" always derailed my plans. Sound familiar? Rest easy, you are not alone, it happens to the best of us. This happened to me several years ago. I want to share with you how I learned how to start winning "The Resolution Game"!

I've only been able to keep one resolution that I made years ago which simply was to stop making resolutions! After years of struggle, I learned that true change only comes when you are ready to learn how to change your lifestyle. The old expression, "being sick and tired of being sick and tired" has a lot of merit and for me my issue was my lifelong battle with my weight and self image. I'll share the full story at a later date. I want to share a few key points that helped me to "kickstart" my journey to a healthier life.

1. See the "real" picture: It was not long after the funeral of my uncle who died at age 52. This was the third family member who died at age 52. Another uncle and one of my Grandfather's had died at the same age with health issues centering around heart disease. It was prevalent on both sides of the family and at the time I was flirting around 265 pounds and had a hard time just getting up the stairs to my third floor condo. The thought that haunted me was that although I played sports a lot, if I'm having these issues in my late 30's then I may go out like the others. I wasn't okay with that and I realized something had to change.

2. Admit you can't do it: This was hard but I had to realize that if I was truly able to fix the problem then I would have done it by now. I tried everything I thought I knew and failed pretty much everytime. I had to get ove my pride that said "I can do this" and realize that my way was the wrong way.

3. Take Action => Get Help! Once I got over myself, I decided I was going to find someone who could help me figure it out. One day while playing basketball at the health club, i met a guy who was a trainer there and we got to talking about life and the subject of my health came up. Not only did he give me good advice, but he felt led to come alongside of me and walk with me through this journey. That was the start of a huge transformation in me.

4. Commit to the long term: Most resolutions center around some short term goal like getting ready for a trip or fitting into some outfit. The problem with that line of thought is that once you reach that goal, you tend to relax and slowly return to your old habits. True lifestyle change comes from a willingness to learn how to commit to a permanent, long lasting change. Once I got a taste of success, I wanted more. I learned that I could commit but not without some support from people in my life.

5. Be Accountable: It is not enough just to tell someone you are making changes, you have to open yourself up to someone who wlll not only ask you how's it going, but someone who is willing to "get in your face" and challenge you to go beyond what you think you can do. That person has to have the ability to say the things that you don't want to hear. For me, that person was the trainer friend I mentioned earlier. It was one of our first times working out and I kept doing something that really annoyed him and he had no problem letting me know what was up. Right then, I knew I had the right person holding me accountable.

These five points will help you to get started or to re-evaluate what you are doing to move towards that goal. For me it was about my health and as you can see from the picture, I have made some progress. I started at 265 lbs back in 2008 and six years later I am down to 205 lbs which is the weight that I told my doctor that I would never get to. I've never been so glad to be wrong. So now it's your turn, stop with the resolutions and start your lifestyle transformation today!

Stay Forever Strong!