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It’s May – Did You Keep Those New Year’s Resolutions? Part 2
Step Two- The “What and When” plus “Setting Your Goals, Breaking Your Barriers and Getting Over That Wall!”: What do you want to accomplish and when do you want to accomplish it by?
Hey Gang, its Sterling here in sunny Santa Monica and I just wanted to talk briefly about your mindset and setting your goals. One of my fitness goals, aside from losing weight and getting stronger, was to one day get over the wall, the cargo net at Naval Special Warfare in Coronado, California. It is 60 feet high and you are live without a net! It sways in the wind, sags in the middle, and rungs break on occasion. If you fall, you’re dead, or in the very least, you’re paralyzed or busted up pretty bad!
I remember the first time I saw that thing, I broke into a cold sweat—I hate heights and this was it, the real deal, the O Course at BUD/S. I got scared just looking at that thing on TV. This course makes the one at Camp Pendleton USMC base look like Girl Scout camp!
My best friend and “adopted son” was now a US Navy SEAL, and though we had visited the course before—and I got nervous looking at it back then too—I was now going to try it myself! And I couldn’t chicken out, this kid used to look up to me, I was a master at obstacle courses, I was the fearless one that would show him the way, I couldn’t, show fear, let him down or let him know the terror that I was feeling.
So I set my goal–just a few more feet and one more rung. He told me to follow his lead, that though it was difficult, just to follow as best as I could. I just looked at the back of his boots and I FLEW up! Even he was surprised I went up so fast. Suddenly I was at the top! That was another issue—I raced back down the first time without going over when I saw how high I was…LOL
But a few minutes later, I went back up and made it over without a problem–full of horror yes, but without a problem. (Yes, that’s me going up the second time…) What am I saying? I’m saying, set reasonable goals that are one step at a time, and pretty soon you too, will be up and over that wall just like I was!
So we already figured out the obvious: you want to look better and feel sexier! So, now we need to establish what measurable goal(s) need to be accomplished in order to realize this subjective dream.
Ways to measure your goals: There are three major ways I tell Maverick fitness clients to track their progress towards “looking better”. I’ve listed them in order of importance from least to most important:
1.) Scale Weight: This is by far the least important goal, but it gives a number that’s worth tracking. The trouble is, as you work out, you are replacing “fluffy” fat with sleek dense muscle, so your weight may go up, even as your pants size goes down. And while it IS possible to buy a scale that tracks both weight and body fat composition, those scales are expensive! So we recommend taking your weight before you start and not weighing yourself more than every 2 weeks. I have even found that most people tend to do better with tracking their weight every month. There are simply too many variables that affect our weight on the scales that can freak you out, so really, the less you use the scale the better. If the scale is just too de-motivating for you in general, then skip this one altogether, because the next two markers are far more important.
2.) Dress/Pant Size: This is probably the most simple and effective method of tracking whether or not you look better. I think it’s safe to say that if you are dropping dress and/or pant sizes that you look better, right? Your best bet is to also select one dress or one pair of pants that you really want to get into since that is the true end goal in mind. I tell my clients to assess how they are fitting into their preferred dress/pant size tracker on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, since the clients that follow our program exactly as outlined, typically lose a dress and/or pant size every month (until they get to their ideal dimensions). There’s nothing more powerful than being to literally being able to feel yourself comfortably get into clothes that use almost rip when you put on.
3.) Digital Pictures: I cannot begin to tell you how important this is. Taking a “Before” picture is essentially you telling the whole world that you are ready to change and that you are ready to do whatever it takes to make those changes. The key is to take pictures wearing exactly what you want to look your best in. Now, don’t be sending us nude pictures of yourself, it may be Los Angeles, but…you can keep track of those yourselves. Maybe it’s taking pictures of you in the dress or pair of pants that you are using to track your dress or pant size. Or maybe it’s a sleeveless shirt and tank top that you want to wear during the summer. Take a front, side, and rear view picture and be sure to note the exact conditions in which the picture was taken (lighting, distance from camera, time of day/week, etc.) to be as accurate as possible in your assessment. The clients whom we’ve transformed that failed to take before pictures in the past have nothing but regret about it.
Your “Before” pictures will become your trophy and they are an absolute must if you really are serious about getting results that count. We tell our Maverick Fitness personal training and boot camp clients to take new pictures either bi-weekly or monthly until they reach their goal(s)–whether it be to become the Hot Pali Mommy (Pacific Palisades), the Beautiful Brentwood Bride, the Venice Beach Babe, the Malibu Poster Boy, or the Santa Monica Stud! And we know that with all of their hard work, our Maverick Fitness clients will get there!
In closing, remember to SET YOUR GOALS, BREAK YOUR BARRIERS, and GET OVER THAT WALL!
[End Part 2 - Continued Part 3]
Hey Gang, its 
We have researched dozens of training methodologies and systems; reviewed and personally tested diets and nutrition regimens; tried copious amounts of supplements, proteins, powders, vitamins, and drinks; plus received the support and research of industry leading innovators like EAS. We have done the countless hours of research—all the trials and errors—with the cooperation of our clients to find a system that flat-out works.
Unless you find the motivation to achieve your goals, the best trainer in the world is useless. That’s what I’m talking about today. I am going to literally walk you through the initial consult and three step goal setting process that each one of our clients undergoes before they start working with us. This is so important to weight loss success that I now require it for any new client to be considered for joining our program.
