If you’re reading this article after making a New Years resolution earlier this year, congratulations! You’re part of the estimated 10% that beats the odds each year and become successful at making a genuine lifestyle change toward long-term health. Whether you’re new to fitness or one of the 90% who “renew” their commitment to better health each January, you’re likely to avoid fitness failure in the future by committing to following 3 strategies.

1. Have a Purpose – I’ll admit, this one seems rather obvious on the surface, but realistically, if you’re motivation for signing up for a gym membership is some variation of “I need to lose some weight” or much worse you’ve made a “commitment” based on a sense of guilt, then you have no true purpose at all. You’re purpose must include a specific objective (i.e. lose 5 lbs. in two weeks, the ability to run 2 miles, etc.) Secondly, a continued effort to developing knowledge specifically related to your goal is critical. This might be as simple as asking other club members for tips and advice, looking for information online, or seeking the assistance of the club’s personal training staff. Simply stated, educate yourself. Your knowledge will pay off quickly as it will contribute to lifestyle modifications which means lasting change. Furthermore, your interest in other areas of better health such as nutrition is also likely to develop further reinforcing a complete lifestyle change. Finally, you simply won’t succeed without a dedicated plan. All things must point toward goal achievement and must consider your frequency of visits, ample session time, and specific items you must accomplish during each session. Both in the gym and out, I’ve found it helpful to ask myself this question when working toward a goal, “Does (action) help or hinder me from accomplishing (goal)”. It’s simple, but it quickly will help you drive every action toward a successful fitness outcome.

2. Enjoy the Experience – Believe it or not, many people enjoy coming to the gym to exercise. In fact, we can condition our bodies to release mood-enhancing chemicals called endorphins before, during, and after workouts. This may take some time and usually requires no less than a few struggles. But much like anything, when our actions yield positive results this can progressively increase our value and appreciation of that action. For Instance, if you’re resting better in the evenings due to the effort you put in at the gym this can lead to greater productivity the next day at work. Just as much, with feeling better on the inside and looking better on the outside, your co-workers might take notice of your physical transformation and provide you with positive feedback which will boost your confidence and create a pleasureful neurological association with fitness. Again, this is a process that doesn’t happen overnight and persistence is critical. To get to this level, it is important to take the time to try a variety of things at the gym to see what types of activities inspire you the most from the onset. For you, may be fitness classes, free weights, or cardiovascular training. With this, you’re motivation is likely to remain more constant especially on those days when the challenges seem the greatest. As final note, don’t be afraid to progressively build variety into your routines. Your long-term fitness success may depend on all of the above mentioned aspects of training.

3.  Log Your Effort – If you have a solid plan of attack and are motivated each time you go to the gym you can make big strides toward fitness success. Over time, I’ve discovered that most of those who have made fitness and health their lifestyle use one important tool. Keeping a comprehensive journal of your efforts and results will expedite the time it takes to achieve your goal. Although this may seem a bit burdensome, it will prove to be anything but. Logging your personal data will allow you to specifically and quantifiably see your progress. This can be beneficial on the toughest of days and on the best days as well. With this tool you’ll discover both what works for you and what doesn’t work for you. Either way you are making progress. This, of course, if you use information and make necessary adjustments. You’ll find plateaus and droughts are almost natural in fitness, but if you make adjustments to your approach that serve your goal you’ll quickly move beyond this challenging times. There are a variety of fitness log formats and even mobile device applications out there, but the best will include a combination of a workout and nutrition planner, It’s important to note that fitness success is at least as much about nutrition as it is exercise, if not more.  Better nutrition planning should be incorporated into every fitness goal and strategy. Be sure to dedicate plenty of time educating yourself and accordingly planning your meals. With this, I cannot overemphasize how critical it is to log not only what you’ve done ,but also how you feel during and after exercises. This is essential as you’ll quickly begin to understand how your body responds to both food and exercise.

If you follow these three strategies you’ll be on your way to achieving fitness success rather than fitness failure. Once, your on your way remember to consistently re-evaluate your goals and strategies and make them work with your successful healthy lifestyle.