It is time for that New Year’s resolution again. People across the nation set goals to lose weight with last year’s resolutions but fell just short of accomplishment through the lack of on-going commitment. Now the slate has been wiped clean thus making room for a fresh start. This year, take full advantage of the fresh start and stay on track to reach the body that you always wanted. The following are some Team Fitness America tips to stick to the plan this year and finally make a real difference without having to repeat the same goals next year.

Set a goal.

Set a measurable, attainable goal and pick a realistic time frame thus making it manageable and conquerable. A lot of us go wrong by saying "I want to lose 100 lbs in a year". That goal is simply too broad and that time frame is way too long. Instead, make it manageable and more rewarding while not making it a mentally draining experience. Some of the best goals are set in three-month time periods with goals such as to lose 10 lbs or possibly get into a smaller size of jeans. Maybe you are training for an event and you want to shave a few seconds off your running time. Whatever your goal might be, keep it short and realistic. Remember you can add another three-month goal after you hit the first one.

Write it down.

Goals that we can see in ink, we can make happen. Write it down in black ink and post it in a place where you will see it every day. This will help remind yourself "to stick to it" when you start to feel like you are losing sight of that goal. Many people who reach their goals successfully will stick their goal sheet in a place where they know they are going to see it on a regular basis. Places such as the bathroom mirror, refrigerator, on the back of the front door so that they see it before they go about their day, or even on their office desk. These are just reminders before, during, and after our day. Add it to your calendar of events to check in each week, make sure you see your goal, and truly know that it is there.

Take a before picture and visualize the goal.

Taking a picture of yourself before you start losing weight is an excellent motivator. Once you start to see results and feel better, you can look back at that point and see where your muscles are forming while your love handles are whittling away. A visual picture of your results sometimes is the best motivator for sticking to your goal. Moreover, once you start getting compliments on how great you look, you can see how different your body looks and feels. Visualize shedding pounds and mentally become one with your goals. Close your eyes and imagine what you would look like once you have reached your fitness goals and how great you feel as you fit into clothes that you never thought you would again. Research has proven that if you concentrate on thinking about your goal and visualize, it will happen because of the energy you put into wanting it to happen. The more you think about the end result, the quicker and easier the goal becomes.

Keep a food journal.

Creating the ability to see what you actually ate compared to what you thought you ate helps cut back on overeating and binging. Find a place in your journal to put your moods before, during, and after a meal sitting. Break the pattern of eating when you are bored, sad, or even mad instead of actual hunger with the true realization of why you are eating what you are eating. Learning what emotions you control through comfort eating will help you to eat less and make more healthy choices. In addition, sometimes we will eat something bad, perhaps a doughnut early in the day, then decide that we ruined the whole day’s diet. This normally makes us feel like we should just eat poorly all day because it really will not matter from that point on. One doughnut does not ruin your diet. Visually seeing what you ate and when you ate it, will help you build better food choices and nutritional decisions throughout your day.

Hire an in home personal fitness trainer.

A personal trainer can motivate and direct you on which exercises to do for your specific body type and goals. A 300 pound, 6’5 male will have different exercises and dietary needs than a 200 lb, 5’5 female even if they both share a common goal of weight loss. A professional fitness trainer will develop a plan of attack against your unwanted pounds and provide a routine that you can do even when they are not there. This will keep you motivated, on track, and hold you personally accountable for the exercise portion of your goal. Some people will say, "I do not need a personal trainer because I can do this myself". The reality is you have been saying that for years and probably still have the same weight loss goals that you might have had ten years ago. Would you try to do your taxes without some form of help? Probably not, you would consult with a professional on the steps to take and which forms to use. A professional fitness specialist can take into consideration your eating habits, working habits, health issues and limitations, and design a custom program tailored to your unique body type and design.

Plan your workouts into your day.

Do you have too much to do and in a little amount of time? We all try to squeeze as much as possible into each day and say that we will get to working out when we have the time. In reality, the time is now that you should put your workout sessions into your priority task list every day. This is you time for stress relief as well as time for your body to be healthy and fit. Treat this hour with the utmost respect and never let anybody take it from you. By allowing your workout sessions to have "a say" in your scheduling process, you are taking goal commitments one-step further and proving that you have the determination it takes to reach your fitness goals.

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