Alas! 2014 is upon us! And for many of us, it is the time of the year that symbolizes change and renewal in our lives. There is a tradition ever year wherein we blissfully develop a compelling resolve to rid ourselves of our bad habits and welcome radical positive changes in our lifestyle. They are popularly known as “New Year’s Resolutions”.

A quick Google search will tell you that the most common promise people make to themselves to usher in a new year is…. Wait for it….. to get fit/lose weight ( http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics ). Big surprise, right? Another quick Google search will also tell you that getting fit/losing weight is also the most failed New Year’s Resolution that people make.

Why is that the case? Is losing weight/getting fit really that difficult? Is failing at this simple promise to yourself okay?

Trust me, it’s not okay.

In October 2012, I developed a similar resolve for myself to start getting fit and healthy. You see, I weighed 280 pounds, with my body fat percentage at over 40%, which is a figure largely well-over the standard average of 23% for males. (which I would not have known had I not enrolled at the gym in the first place). I lost 25 pounds within my first month of working out. In August 2013, I lost my hundredth pound. At this moment of writing, I currently weigh 165 pounds with a little less than 20% body fat left and I’m still working at destroying it what’s left of it. In a few days, I am registered to run at the Cebu City Marathon – 21km race. A little over a year ago, I couldn’t even run 500 meters without having to stop to catch my breath.

I am very proud of what I have been able to accomplish and I promised myself way back that I would eventually write about this journey to getting fit and healthy. At the urging of my friends and relatives, I think now is a better time than ever to do so. So here it is guys! My top tips for those who want to start dropping those pounds!

(1) Set Tangible Goals

Often, the biggest mistake that people make when they decide they want to get fit is that they are often too vague about their fitness goals. Sure, anyone can easily say “I want to get fit” or “I want to lose weight” as a starting point. The problem with setting these kinds of vague goals is that they also offer vague ideas of success. How “fit” do you exactly want to be? How much weight do you exactly want to lose? Tangible goals are always the way to go. For me, starting out, I told myself that I wanted to lose 100 pounds, but that was only because I was incredibly out of shape. Your goals don’t have to be so dramatic. You can say: “I want to be able to run a 5k without having to stop to rest” or “I want to fit into this pair of old jeans again”. Tangible goals like that offer tangible ideas of success, and when success comes, you get addicted to it. You’re hooked and you crave for more. Pretty soon your goals start evolving from running 5k’s to running marathons. And when your goals evolve, your body and lifestyle eventually evolves as well.

(2) Be Realistic With Goals

This one isn’t too complicated. In connection with the first tip, tangible goals have to be set with a fair amount of realism in mind. You can’t train to be ready to run a marathon merely after jogging everyday for a week. You can’t bench press your body weight just because you’ve been lifting heavily for the past month. Success comes with time and hardwork. It’s important to dream big, but don’t fly too near the sun. You might get burned and end up failing completely.

(3) Out With The Old, In With The New

Another common mistake people make in their journeys to wellness is being unable to quit unhealthy vices and habits. Einstein once said that problems cannot be solved by the same minds that created them. He also said that insanity is defined to be people doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. In fitness, it’s all the same principles. You have to be willing to develop a mindset that is strong enough to accept the flaws of your current lifestyle and rid yourself of these. You must also develop a resolve to accept and practice new ways of going about your lifestyle. This means that if you want to be able to shed some body fat, you’ll have to say no to that piece of cake. If you want to be able to run a marathon, quit smoking.

(4) Be Motivated By The Benefits Of Success, Not By The Fear Of Failure

Studies have shown that people who constantly kept positive outlooks when faced with challenges are those who were most likely to succeed. I used this simple philosophy in my fit lifestyle as well. When tempted to eat a sinful brownie, I didn’t think about potential fat I would gain in doing so, I’d rather think about the 6-pack abs I would get if I didn’t eat it. When tempted to take a nap instead of going out for a jog, I think about how much better I would feel if I went for a run as opposed to how bad I would feel if I had just slept in. Maintaining a positive outlook is important.

(5) Eat Properly; Not Less

The general idea is this: Eating Less = Weighing Less. At some level, there is authenticity in this. However, “Eating Less” isn’t necessarily the whole story. Dramatically cutting out a large amount of your food intake may prove to be successful a few days going in, however, this is not a sustainable means for losing weight. By cutting out food, you may risk cutting out a substantial amount of nutrients that your body needs to perform at maximum level. In addition to that, cutting down your food intake may prove counterproductive by slowing down your body’s metabolism. Instead of eating less, just eat properly. Cut out all junk food (e.g. processed food, junk, softdrinks, candy, sugared-chocolates) and start eating more of food that fuel your body’s metabolism (e.g. eggs, lean meats, vegetables, fruits). There are tons and tons of diets out there, and there isn’t one specific diet that’s best for everyone. Diets largely depend on your body’s physical make-up as well as your fitness goals. Try researching on various diets and develop one that can be tailor-suited to your lifestyle.

(6) Don’t Be Afraid To Lift!

Ladies, I’m talking to you! The common mistake that people make when they want to lose weight is they just immediately jump on the treadmill and start running. After a few days of running, they will notice that they start losing weight! So they keep at it… Fast forward a few weeks later, and these same people will be too tired to even get out of bed, let alone hop on a treadmill. That’s because mere cardiovascular-activity isn’t an ideal solution for long-term weight loss. Yes, hopping on a treadmill, or doing some laps in the pool is good for you and are vital components for weight loss. However, when your body is continually losing weight, it isn’t just burning fat, it’s burning muscles as well. So maybe after a month of pure cardiovascular activity, you will most likely end up feeling weak and without drive. That’s why it’s important to incorporate anaerobic exercises into your workout routine as well. Exercises like weight-lifting and resistance training help develop the strength and endurance that your body needs to burn fat. Also, higher muscle composition in your body mass means a higher metabolic rate. A higher metabolic rate means you burn fat more efficiently throughout the entire day.

(7) You Have To Realize: You Will Fail

It’s not always going to be rainbows and butterflies. You will hit walls that will stunt your progress. You will stumble and fall sometimes. You will gain a couple of pounds a couple of times. Your weight will fluctuate at a few points in your journey. However, these should not serve as signals for you to give up. At the slightest hint of regress, we are often left uninspired and demotivated. Don’t let that be the case. Review your diet, adjust your workout routine. Do whatever you have to do to get the progress flowing again. On the road to fitness, it never gets easier; you only get better.

(8) Embrace The Concept Of “The Grind”

Welcome the grind. Not just in fitness, but in life in general. It’s all about embracing the grind. It’s about realizing that running that extra step, lifting that extra weight, doing that extra push-up… it’s all part of the daily grind. Every single “run” matters. Every single “workout” matters. Every single detail in how you go about your day matters. It’s about grinding through every single challenge that life puts in your way and knowing that you will become a better person regardless if you succeed or not. Work through the grind.

Today’s pain – Tomorrow’s victory.