The One Thing Every Fitness Success Story Has In Common

I started my career in fitness as a personal trainer back in 2006. Since then, I’ve seen a lot of fitness success stories (and many failures, too). Most prominent among them is that I’ve witnessed thousands of success stories as an official judge for the many Burn The Fat Body Transformation Challenges at the Burn The Fat Inner Circle. Think of it like a healthy and natural (and sane!) version of The Biggest Loser that you do by yourself (i.e. without “trainers” screaming in your face).

Every time we’ve hosted one of these, hundreds of people submit an entry as a “challenge finisher” – complete with before and after pictures, progress journals, and perhaps most importantly, an essay. That essay can be about what they learned during the challenge, what was hardest for them, or how they achieved their transformation, among other things. And as a judge, I read every single one of them (and some of them several times while we’re whittling down the contestants to pick the winners). Yes, it takes awhile!

Over the years that I’ve been judging these challenges, I’ve noticed some recurring themes in each person’s story. And I’ve noticed those same themes repeated in other fitness success stories I’ve witnessed or read about. And today, I’d like to share one thing that they ALL have in common so that you can take advantage of it.

Here it is: in each persons life, before they become a “success story,” there comes a moment of reckoning.

That is, there came a time when they realized that:

a) I need a change,

and

b) NOW IS THE TIME.

Oftentimes, it’s because they hit rock-bottom. They feel horrible all the time and they hate it. They’re embarrassed about the way they look. They can’t do the things they want to. They feel weak. Or, maybe they’ve tried and failed so many times before – with diets, workouts, New Year’s resolutions, etc. Or, it may even be because they were given a death sentence by their doctor (i.e. get healthy or you’ll likely be dead soon). But many times, they just slowly realize how lousy they look, feel, and perform. Or, that things aren’t as easy as they used to be. Or, something like that. Regardless, they know that something needs to change, and now!

So, call it an awakening, or a day of reckoning, whatever. This always happens.

The good news is that you can take advantage of this yourself BEFORE you hit rock-bottom or get the death sentence, and I’d highly recommend it! If you want to finally take the plunge and commit to a lifestyle of excellent health and fitness, then why not get a heads start? So many people wait until things get really bad before doing anything about it, when it would be much easier to start before that happens.

So, ask yourself, what’s it going to take for you to realize that you need a change and that NOW IS THE TIME?

Said another way, what are the personal reasons – the deep stuff – why you’re going to do this? What would make it worth your time, effort, and enthusiasm? What would be worth fighting for? Is it your family and friends? How about the potential for a longer, more enjoyable life? Independence? What’s your reason?

Figure that out, and like Teddy Roosevelt used to say, “believe you can and you’re halfway there.”

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