Ever been to these 2 hot spots?

Did you have a great Labor Day weekend? Sure hope so!

Man — can you believe how fast summer zipped by? Seems like only yesterday, I was celebrating the start of pool season. Now, I’m regretting not getting there enough.

So here we are, planning parties to watch the first games of the regular football season in less than a week. I've even seen Halloween candy on display! Amazing.

In all of my time as a fitness professional there seems to be two ‘hot spots’ throughout every year: January and September.

Why? Well, because these two months signal watershed events in people’s lives.
In January, we’ve just endured the holidays. We ate too much, drank too much, gained weight and fell into worse shape than we were in.

In September, we’d just survived the summer. We ate too much, drank too much, gained weight and fell into worse shape than we were in.

So on these two dates, we feel guilty, weaker, fatter — and more than a little panicked that our lives deviated from the mean — than at any other time of the year.

And so, beginning bright and early on January 2 and September 2 as our heads begin to clear, we observe our semi-annual penitence: A time for agonizing reappraisals of our priorities. A time for resolutions. A time to reapply our proboscises to the proverbial grindstone.

You know what? Nothing has changed. Because human nature never changes.

So maybe you’re thinking of making one of the following resolutions today:

• To lose the weight you didn’t lose after January 2nd.

• To get into shape…once and for all.

• To stop eating the junk you know that is bad for you but you continue to do so because it’s convenient and tastes good.

• Set a good example for your kids to follow.


But that’s just the “what.” Now, it’s time for the tough part: “HOW?”

See, this is where most resolutions fall apart. We all know what we should do and beyond that, what we need to do to turn our dreams into reality. It’s crafting an action plan — and then sticking to it — that flummoxes us.

I’ll admit that some of my own resolutions fall short of success. But I do know you need three things:

1. A clear vision of what you want your life to be like on January 2, 2009 …

2. A detailed daily or even hourly action plan that ensures that you do everything required to get there, and …

3. Someone to keep you accountable along the way.

Of course, reams have been written by self-help gurus about #1 and #2 above.

Item #1 is simply positive thinking … keeping your vision before you … and making it as tangible as possible in your mind.

And we’ve all heard that the tactical part, item #2 above is crucial because the Devil really is in the details.

But you know what? Giving ourselves excuses for our failure to carry through — justifying our lack of discipline — is the killer.

So we all need a nag.

Someone who knows us as well as we know ourselves … who can see through our excuses … and who doesn’t mind (better yet, delights in) providing the swift kick in the keester we need to get back on track.

And we also need help from people who aren’t quite as close as family and friends. Ideally strangers.

Here at Fitness Together we are far more effective for delivering results than any other solution out there.

Why? Because three times a week, our clients have to answer to their coach. “OK — so let’s see how you’re doing.” And the accountability begins.

And every time, the report your coach would give you blows away every rationalization, every excuse, every little indulgence you might have had.

In that one moment, rationalization is exposed for what it is: Nonsense. Pure and simple.

So priority #1 is to find people who’ll nail you when you screw up.

Next, someone who’s job it is to notice when you do things right. Praise and reward are needed too.

That could be your plan — if you want it.

What are your goals for the next 122 days? Where do you want to be on January 2, 2009?

What do you need to do to get there?

Who’s going to help keep you honest as you work towards your goal?

Share your ideas with me. I’d like to hear.

Good luck!

To your health,

Tim