Every once in a while a subject comes up again and again in a short period of time. I take that as a sign I need to blog about it!
I want you to think of an important project that you are in charge of, for a lot of you it will be a work project, maybe a school project or even a project around your home.
Now this project is important to you for various reasons: It reflects strongly on your job performance, your final grades or it’s big financial investment. You really want/need the outcome to happen as expected. I mean this is a big deal. This one project for work could land your company a HUGE account (which might mean a raise for you). This one project could affect your final GPA and your eligibility for some scholarships. In the case of your home perhaps this project being completed properly is key to the structural integrity of your home, the re-sale value (whats that?) or maybe you’re hosting a wedding and your home needs to be ready ON TIME.
Alright so we have this super important project and it has to be right. What’s the game plan? Do you assess it in detail? Get the help you’ll need? List the supplies you’ll need and when you’ll purchase them? Set a deadline and make sure you stick to it? Nope. You just wake up each day with a general awareness of what needs to be done, a vague outline of how you’ll complete the project and figure each day you’ll work it the best way you can.
Ummm, what do you think the outcome will be? I’m sure there’s always the odd chance that you are one lucky mo-fo and it’ll all go off without a hitch but in about 99% of the cases the project will end up in either total failure or at best less than satisfactory results.
Now I know you’re thinking “But I would NEVER do that! I mean come on, how silly is that? Who would do that?!”
But then we take another important project, the project of our own health, fitness and fat-loss and we do exactly that; fly by the seat of our pants with only a vague outline of what we should be doing. We set deadlines and then endlessly push them back because of one thing or another. We wake up each day saying “I’ll make good choices” but have no concrete clue about what choices we should be making. We make and accept excuses for why something didn’t happen or why we couldn’t possibly do this or that (things we would never do for a work or school project). And then at or around the time that we want “Project YOU” to be complete, we panic. “How come I’m not where I’m supposed to be?!!!!!”
So I want you to start thinking of your fat-loss, toning and weight-loss goals as a project. It’s important.
Treat it like one of the most important projects on your agenda. Each week assess: what will you eat? When will you shop for it? When will you prep it? How will you manage next Tuesday when you have back-to-back catered meetings or are traveling? So-and-so’s graduation party is next week, what will you eat and when will you get your workout in? Mark your deadline and regularly assess your progress and make sure you are on track. Do what you need to stay on track.
Yes, I know you want to live your “normal” life too but there are two things I believe:
1. You can live your “normal” life once you get to your goal. It’s tougher to lose 20lbs than it is to maintain a 20lb loss so put in the work, focus on your project of losing 20lbs then you can live your “normal” life.
2. You probably need to change your “normal”. I’m not saying no alcohol, no pizza, no dessert but if your normal is half a pizza, cocktails nightly and jumbo sized desserts then don’t believe the hype that you can still live like THAT and change your body too.
Project YOU is important. Treat it like it is and reap the rewards of your focus and dedication.
P.S. We have a few exciting new things at the BBC studio: our new spring loaded cushioned floors, our Power yoga class (think of this as the athletes yoga, no chanting and mediating here, you will work and burn major calories!) and we are now the exclusive home of EMC fitness Dance, Sweat, Burn