Contenders vs. Pretenders

If you ever needed any inspiration to keep going,

please watch this video.  It's simply amazing.

This is a great time of year.  Here in north Texas we get a different season every few days, Kleenex sales skyrocket, and with Valentine's Day approaching we start separating the contenders from the pretenders in the gym. 

Research has shown that 80% of people who start a new exercise program stop within 6 weeks. Guess what all you New Years resolution peeps...it's the 6 week mark!! What has always intrigued me is that someone will start to work out, not IMMEDIATELY lose 25lbs, and say "Screw it, I'm done!!" News flash, you didn't gain the weight that quickly, don't expect it to come off that quickly either. Thankfully you can lose weight quicker than you put it on, but remember to set REALISTIC goals with an achievable plan. Over the years I've seen so many people just throw in the towel when things don't change as quickly as they'd like. The problem is they never give themselves a chance to succeed because their effort is less than 100%. They SAY their diet is perfect, and it's not. They say they can't do one more pushup, but they can. We love lying to ourselves. It's all the justification we need to do or not do anything in life. "I just don't have the time"...yeah you do, you just don't want to. "I'm happy where I am"...no you're not, you complain about your bad knee/achy back/large left butt cheek to anyone within earshot. "I have more important things to worry about"...well don't worry too much, because if your health goes downhill you'll have NOTHING ELSE to worry about. 

Not to beat the proverbial dead horse, but most things in life can happen if you want it bad enough.  People work extremely hard for material possessions all the time.  But the first sign of discomfort or discouragement on the scale, and it's back to the Ben & Jerry's. Stop selling yourself short!! If you're scared, do it anyway. If you don't know what to do next, hit up the Google and figure it out. If you blew your diet on a random Tuesday night with a trough of queso, get over it, shove a grilled chicken breast in your pie hole, and get to work. 

Are you going to cheat yourself once again, pretending that THIS will be the year when in reality you're already done? Or are you going to stay in the ring and keep fighting for the health and life you deserve, and be a true contender? Choose the latter, as it's the only choice you won't regret. 

THE Fitness Ninja...changing the world one pushup at a time.