Seattle Personal Training

Finding motivation is the enemy of every weight loss program. To keep your self focused try setting short term goals.

1. Sign up for a distant race
Sign up for an event such as a triathlon, 5k, 10k, or ½ marathon.

2. Make a ‘friendly’ bet
Challenge your nemesis—that idea-stealing coworker or a non-mowing neighbor—to a contest. The first guy to drop 15 pounds, run a 6-minute mile, or bench- press 250 pounds wins.

3. Tie exercise to your health
Check your cholesterol. Then set a goal of lowering your LDL cholesterol by 20 points and increasing your HDL cholesterol by 5 points. “You’ll decrease your risk of heart disease while providing yourself with a very important, concrete goal.

4. Switch your training partners
Working out with a partner or trainer who will hold you accountable for showing up at the gym works well—for a while. But the more familiar you are with the partner, the easier it becomes to back out of workout plans. “Close friends and family members don’t always make the best training partners because they may allow you to slack off or cancel workouts.

5. Do a daily gut check
Place your fingers on your belly and inhale deeply so that it expands. As you exhale, contract your abdominal muscles and push your fingertips against your hard abdominal wall. Now pinch. “You’re holding pure fat between your fingers” . Do this every day, 30 minutes before your workout, and you’ll find that you’ll rarely decide to skip it.

6. Plan your workouts in advance
At the start of each month, schedule all of your workouts at once, and cross them off as they’re completed. For an average month, you might try for a total of 16 workouts. If any are left undone at the end of the month, tack them on to the following month.