I WAS WRONG

I don’t remember the exact year it was, but if I had to guess I would say it was around 2011-2012. I had finally scraped up enough money (on my credit card) to afford a personal trainer. I was a member of a gym that was down the street from my job, because I thought it would make me more consistent due to the convenience. I invested in one of their personal trainers and I remember in my first session, he and I discussed my goals. At the time I was around 21-22 and all I wanted was a six pack. For as long as I could remember all I wanted was a six pack and I thought this was my one-way ticket. Now, my trainer was very (physically) fit so I just knew this was it. I was wrong. 

I believe there were 3 reasons why I was wrong. 1. I wasn’t mentally ready. 2. My nutrition was Terrible. 3. My goal was unrealistic. And if I knew then what I know now, I would add a fourth reason: I didn’t have the right trainer, for me. I say that because I personally wouldn’t accept wanting a six pack as a goal and he was very accepting of that goal. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t blame him at all for my failures I just needed someone to tell me I should be a little more realistic and less limiting. Or someone to ask me why I wanted a six pack, because why I wanted it was not because I thought it was healthy. I thought (and still do think) it was sexy. Honestly.

If the current me was asked what my number 1 goal was, it would be to lower my body fat percentage. Now as boring as that sounds it is way more realistic, for me. Anyway, let’s get into these reasons..

1. I wasn’t mentally ready – The importance of your mental is so underdiscussed when it comes to losing or gaining weight. While it is discussed more now than before, it is still not enough. For the sake of length, if you aren’t mentally ready to begin it is so easy to not continue. I am a firm believer in there being no better time than now, but the real results come when your mind is ready and focused.
2. My nutrition was Terrible – I had just started making some real money, so of course I spent it on food. I mean I finally reached the point of not needing to go to my aunts house and eat her leftovers. Now I still did go to her house regularly, for food. But the times I didn’t I was eating a whole medium pie from Domino’s. And there were days I did both. Now, my trainer did mention that I needed to eat better. But he wasn’t consistent enough, neither was I.
3. My goal was unrealistic – A goal should always be S.M.A.R.T. 

Now, don’t take the word “Specific” and say “I want a six pack” is specific because that ain’t it. Underneath layers of fat, we all have a six pack. So when I say specific I mean “I want to lower my body fat percentage by 20%” or “I want to lose 15 pounds” or “I want to gain 5 pounds of muscle”. “Specific” in a S.M.A.R.T goal targeted towards weight is tricky because it is better to really focus on your entire body vs. one area, like your stomach. Again for the sake of length, I’ll save that topic for a future post.

So I want to know, what is your goal? Long term or short term or both. Please share!