Failure is NOT an option

Happy Monday to my fellow readers! I hope you're enjoying the Holiday!


I saw a quote the other day that literally stopped me in my tracks:

"What would you attempt to do

if you knew you could not fail?"

Failure. One word that sends chills down my spine. One word that tells me I'm not good enough. One word that motivates me to do my best, to give my all, to push myself to succeed.

I have tried countless diets, joined gyms, taken pills, downed shakes, and feel like I've done it all in my various attempts to lose weight and become healthy. So many times I have asked myself why I seem to fail with my attempts at weight loss, when I am so successful with everything else in my life? Why is it that I can juggle a career, 3 kids, household chores and starting up a business without a second thought or fear of failure, yet I can't seem to manage to lose the pounds that have "mysteriously" appeared over the past few year?

The answer I came to? Because FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION when it comes to our family, or our job, or our houses. Plain & simple. We have all somehow managed to BE successful because we know we cannot fail.

So why then, do we allow the option to fail OURSELVES? With all of the other things going on in our lives, OUR needs and OUR wants are too often put on the back burner. Sure, we come back to them every so often. We brush off the dust and rekindle our motivation and dedication, and vow to succeed, but (at least in my world) it always seems that others needs outweigh our own, and we are once again pushed to the side.

So, today, I ask you...

"What would you attempt to do
if you knew you could not fail?"

What should you do to ensure that this time around you WILL NOT fail? Here are some easy tips to help you succeed:

1. Set a realistic goal. ~ So, you may be 50 pounds overweight. Setting a goal to lose 50 pounds is both discouraging and a recipe for failure. Instead, set a goal to lose 5 pounds a month. It may not sound like much, but by sticking to a more obtainable goal, you'll have hit the 50 pound mark in less than a year! Not a Marathon runner? Neither am I, but that doesn't mean I can't take small steps that MAY lead to that one day. Start off by making a goal to walk/jog 10 minutes a day, and increase your goal by 5-10 minutes every week. Before you know it, you'll have surpassed your self-imposed limitations!

2. Take Control ~ only YOU can make time for YOURSELF. Only YOU can control what goes in your body. Make it known to those around you that 30 - 60 minutes 3-5 days a week is YOUR time, and act on it. Be proactive in preparing healthy and available snacks to grab on the go. If you're an emotional eater, make the decision to walk off your stress or frustration. It's YOUR life...so be in control!

3. Be Flexible ~ Life doesn't always happen on the schedules we have planned. Don't let unplanned circumstances be an excuse to not exercise OR enjoy life. If you're going to have a late meeting at work, take the initiative to wake up 40 minutes early the next morning to get an early workout. If you have a weekend party or obligation on a day/time a workout was planned, leave early, arrive late, or try to fit your workout on a day you don't have one planned. Being inflexible leads to failure, because you either start to hate your workout routine demands or give up on them all together.

4. Think Long Term ~ Failure is often a result of not seeing results "fast enough". It is important to remember and accept that our unwanted pounds didn't appear overnight, and so likewise (and I hate to tell you) they won't disappear overnight. Long term weight loss goals are so much more than goals...they are LIFESTYLE CHANGES. Changes in the way we think about ourselves, changes in what we eat, and changes in our habits, including exercise. According to weight loss studies, rapid weight loss leads to rapid weight gain...PLUS an additional 1-2 pounds more than before!

5. Do it N-O-W ~ How many times have we told ourselves..."I'll start after (fill in the blank)"? Why wait? As mentioned in #2, you need to TAKE CONTROL. If you procrastinate, you are letting your emotions or external events control you. It's much easier to say we'll do something tomorrow, but unfortunately in most circumstances, tomorrow never comes. Start that lifestyle change NOW...not later today, not tomorrow, and certainly not next week. N-O-W!

6. Be accountable ~ Hey, I know. We're not perfect. We all make mistakes. I'm not asking you to (or expecting you to for that matter) either adhere to your diet/exercises plan 100% or not at all. However, I am asking you to do your very best to meet the 100% commitment mark. Don't make excuses for your slip ups, or missed workouts, or concoct lavish stories about why you are "genetically doomed" to be fit/healthy. If you try to blame anyone or anything else for the results that you get, you are sabotaging yourself from the start and you will not succeed. Along with being accountable comes taking credit. When you improve your level of fitness and lose weight, take credit for it. You did it. Pat your self on the back and be proud. You did the work. You took the responsibility so you should also take all of the credit.

7. Keep a Diary of your Journey ~ Because this journey is LONG TERM, it is SO easy to lose sight of your goal(s). It's so easy to forget just how far you have come when the finish line is still so far away. By maintaining a diary, you have easy access to your starting place and instant gratification/recollection of how much you have accomplished. Take pictures when you reach certain milestones...every pound and inch counts! Record circumstances that have either motivated you to work harder as well as those moments that have brought you down. Try to learn from your experiences by avoiding situations that make you unmotivated and searching for the things that seem to push you further. Devote some time each day to record what you have eaten and how much, your hunger level prior to eating, and any feelings or emotions present at the time.

Always remember that you are not alone. I'm always here for you, no matter what your challenge. With the help of these tips and strong determination, you can accomplish ANYTHING!

Love ya!

Fit-NOW-Girl