by Karen Lirio (Dedicated to Fay)
The likely hood of you achieving your health & fitness goal, as with any goal, comes down to how badly you want it. If you want something badly enough, you will find a way to get it. “Where there is a will, there is a way”. This is a tried and true principle that has been proven over and over again. This is how entrepreneurs make their millions and athletes break records.

Why is it then that we can believe that we want something desperately enough and yet not seem to have the will to get it? Is it that, in the heat of the moment or when are feeling a little flat, we simply lose sight of how badly we want something?
Achieving a goal generally requires learning a new skill, and/or adopting a new behavior. When doing this there are four stages, or levels of will power if you like, through which we progress.
1) The Discomfort Stage is when your willpower will be at its lowest.
2) The Results Stage is when your will becomes powered by the results that you are achieving.
3) The Pleasure Stage is when the need for will power is replaced by the sweet smell of success.
4) The Maintenance Stage is when you begin to dream of even bigger and better things.

It is during the first stage that we are most likely to “forget” how important are goals are to us. It is therefore also during this stage that I would recommend the use of external motivators to “remind” us of how important are goals are.

External motivators can include rewards and prizes in recognition of success, however I prefer external motivators that ensure success.

Having a clear goal, and plan for achieving that goal, is essential. Write it down (or illustrate it) where you can see it, and put it in your diary. Determine in advance what obstacles, set backs or adversity may prevent you from achieving your goal, and plan a strategy for dealing with these. Share your goal with family and close friends and enlist their support. Record your progress to remind you of how far you have come and increase your confidence, motivation and determination to “stick to the plan”