‘Tis the season regular folks are thinking about body composition & athletic folks are thinking about building their fitness for the spring _insert sport here_ season.

So many of us focus on the goal rather than the process. Beware: though you may find motivation in attending to the goal… you’ll find success in attending to the process.

Consider:

“I’m going to lose 10 pounds by spring break!”

while along the way:

“well, i’ll just make it up next week… time to treat myself / sleep in / etc etc”

How do you stay on point? In a way similar to that mentioned HERE, simply create frequent deadlines for yourself.

If 10 pounds by spring break to look good in your bikini is the goal: take pictures of yourself once each week… and here’s the critical part… and share them with somebody. Email them to your best friend. Post them on flickr. Whatever – what you’re doing is tying your intentions into reality.

In my own case – less interested in body comp & more interested in aerobic endurance – i simply test weekly.  In the years I was rowing competitively I had both reverence and FEAR of the fitness tests used by coaches to pick their crews.  By testing weekly I smashed those fears & stayed in touch with the reality of my fitness… which in turn helped me stay focused on the details of executing each days’ training while staying motivated.

just. win.