By Sean Flower
New Jersey Personal Trainer
Contact Sean at Personal Trainer Central

When I was invited to contribute an article, I was initially excited about the opportunity.  However, as I started to decide about what topic I should focus on, I simply couldn’t decide.  There are just so many aspects to health and fitness; it’s sometimes difficult to decide where to start.  Then it hit me, that is what I’ll write about:  Where to start!

Many of us, me included, tend to fall into the trap of looking at fitness and exercise as a complicated, over-involved process.  We ask ourselves, “Do I start with upper-body or lower body?” or “Should I focus on a full-body circuit 3 days a week, or would it be better to break up into body parts?”

How about this one:  “I think I’ll start running in the mornings and try to hit the gym in the afternoons, but should I run every day or alternate with rest days or sprints?  AAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!”   And don’t even get me started on the “D” word!  You know what I’m talking about:  what to eat, when to eat, how often and how much to eat!

I have to laugh a little, mostly at myself, because I remember sitting at the table on many occasions trying to map out my plan and using that to get started.  I would use my workout plan and schedule as my map and motivation, often thinking that the progress I chart on my workout log will motivate me as I show improvement.  This would usually work and result in several really great workouts… for about a month, maybe two if I was lucky.  Then I’d be back at the table re-thinking my plan, trying to re-motivate myself for greatness.  This process would repeat until I’d get overwhelmed, impatient, and just plain give up!

Develop Your Personal Constitution — For Ultimate Physical Fitness
I was trying to create a map for my fitness goals, but it was so short-sighted that it would often lead me drifting out in the sea of lost potential.   What I really needed was a LIGHTHOUSE, with a beacon to help guide me in the right direction, but also, to KEEP ME ON COURSE.

Now, you may be saying to yourself, “Sure, that’s what my personal trainer is for; to provide me with the motivation and guidance I need to reach my goals!”  Well, a personal trainer may be able to provide some of that, when he or she is there to give it to you.  However, you’ll spend many more hours away from your trainer than with him or her.

So you have to develop a foundational, core-belief motivational tool that is very specific to you and your goals.  A constitution, if you will, that is customized to your inner most wishes.  A document that is meant for ONLY you to read, that will fuel the fire deep within your soul to drive you to reach for your dreams and goals.  This is not meant for anyone else to read or approve of, otherwise it will not work!  Remember, you are not doing this for anyone else but YOU!

This personal constitution should have three main sections:
1) the goal(s) you wish to achieve,
2) WHY you wish to achieve them (important), and
3) what you are willing to do to accomplish them.

It can be as short or as long as you want, but remember to keep it short enough to read in one setting at least twice a day.  Make it personal, relating to your inner most thoughts and aspirations.

In part two of How to Stay Accountable to Your Physical Fitness Goals we will discuss exactly how to construct your own personal constitution so you can get into the best shape of your life, faster than you ever thought possible!

For more information about Sean Flower visit his Personal Trainer Central profile page.

About Sean C. Flower, ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer (CFT)
Sean has been passionate about fitness ever since joining the Air Force over 16 years ago.  A couple of years ago he decided to take his natural attraction to the life of fitness to another level and earned a certification through the International Sports Sciences Association.  Sean believes there is so much more to personal training than the physical aspect of exercises, and encourages belief from within to achieve success.  He is the owner of ACT Now Consulting, LLC, a one-on-one in-home fitness consulting/personal training company, focusing on those who think they “don’t have time for fitness.”   Sean is available to the communities within a 20 mile radius of McGuire Air Force Base, NJ.

About Personal Trainer Central
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