Are there things about yourself that you’d like to change?

Your weight, your habits, and maybe even your outlook on life?

We are trained to think that change is hard, that it takes time. But it really doesn’t have to be.

I’m here to argue that lasting change happens in an instant.

I understand that this goes against mainstream belief. Most people believe that change has to be a struggle. We expect to try and fail numerous times before ultimately giving up or succeeding.

Think about this – how many people do you know who struggle with their weight? They want to make a healthy change by getting in shape, but the change never seems to happen.

What is it in your life that you want to change? Do you have inches to lose? Do you have preventable diabetes? Do you have a pair of skinny jeans that you want to fit into?

What is keeping you from making this change in your life?

According to professional speaker and author, Tony Robbins, it’s the preparation for change that takes times. In the end there’s a single instant when the change occurs.

Here are the 3 steps to instantly create a lasting change and a new you.

Step #1: Believe that something must change.
Do you sort of want to get into shape, or do you absolutely have to lose the weight? Does dropping a few pounds sound good, or is living another day in your current body simply unbearable? In order to make a lasting change you must believe wholeheartedly that things must change.

Step #2: Believe that you must change it.

It is vital that you take full responsibility in making the change rather than assigning responsibility elsewhere. Sure, others may help you, but in the end you are the one who is going to make it happen. You have to want this change enough to make it your personal mission – no one else can do it for you.

Step #3: Believe that you can change it.

Don’t let past failures get you down. The truth is that you are capable of amazing things when you put your mind to it. Believe that you are able to lose weight or to make any other positive change in your life.

Why do most people fail to make change stick? They rely on willpower. This works for awhile, but you’ll soon revert back to what’s comfortable. The solution?

Change what you are comfortable with.

People are motivated by two things: 1) to avoid pain and 2) to gain pleasure. When you want to change a behaviour pattern the key is to associate pain with the behaviour that you don’t want and pleasure with the behaviour that you do want.

You know that you want to lose weight and that to do so you need to quit eating comfort food late at night. You also know that you need to start exercising on a regular basis. Up until this point your brain is trained to associate pleasure with eating comfort food late at night and to associate pain with exercise.

It’s time to retrain your brain to feel good about exercise and to feel bad about eating late at night. Think about all of the negative things about being overweight and connect these unpleasant thoughts to your late night snack. Now think about all of the wonderful things about being in shape and connect these pleasant thoughts to exercise.

Most people think way too much about how to lose the weight. Maybe you do this too. You spend hours gathering information about the latest trends and the quickest way to get in shape, and then become completely overwhelmed by all that you learn.

There are thousands of ways to exercise and eat healthy, so it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by it all, and end up doing nothing. The good news is that all effective fitness programmes contain the same core elements, which I outlined for you below as 5 Easy Steps to Get Fit Fast:

Get Fit Step #1: Consistency is KEY

If you want a fit body then exercise MUST be a consistent part of your life. You can’t exercise hard this week and then take the next two weeks off and expect to see results. Results come from consistency.

Don’t overthink the mode of exercise. Focus on being consistent.

Get Fit Step #2: Set ATTAINABLE goals

Let’s be realistic here, you aren’t going to lose 20 pounds in a week. That’s not an attainable goal! Those who achieve the most amazing body transformations do so by reaching a series of progressive, attainable goals. If you would like help in determining what an appropriate, attainable goal would be for yourself then simply reach out to me, I’d be happy to help.

Don’t give up too quickly. Keep striving and the results will come.

Get Fit Step #3: Make it CONVENIENT

Are you straining to include your chosen exercise routine into your life? If your exercise time isn’t a seamless part of your daily life, if it causes too much of a strain and headache to accomplish, then you won’t stick with it. Find a time, a place and a modality of exercise that is as convenient to your real life as possible, so that you can be faithful to Get Fit Step #1 by staying consistent.

Make exercise part of your routine. Don’t stray back to your old habits.

Get Fit Step #4: Find something you LOVE

Similar to Get Fit Step #3, finding a modality of exercise that you LOVE is key to making this a permanent part of your life. You may never love swimming because you hate getting your ears wet, or you may never love biking because you’ve always struggled with balance. If you’re straining to get through a modality of exercise that you loathe, then you won’t stick with it. It’s best to move on to something different that you would enjoy more.

**Note for exercise-haters: If deep down you consider yourself an exercise hater, then DO NOT take this as a free pass to forego exercise altogether under the guise of not loving it.

Part of becoming fit for life is learning to find a type of exercise that you can learn to love.

When we talk about the benefits of exercise, looking better gets the most attention.

Burning off unwanted pounds is a great thing, but let’s not overlook a more immediate benefit of exercise.

Exercise transforms how you feel—with a quickness.

It’s true. While weight loss takes time and extended effort, all it takes is one workout to begin reaping the reward of a more energetic and capable body.

Here are the top 3 ways that your body will feel better with exercise:

1) You’ll Have More Energy
How are your energy levels these days?

(And I’m talking about natural energy, not energy manufactured by caffeine.)

Do your eyes pop open at the sound of your alarm? Then do you bounce through your day with a spring in your step?

Or do you hit snooze half a dozen times before getting up and dragging through your day?

While you may not instantly feel like the Energizer Bunny, your energy levels will dramatically increase once you begin a consistent, challenging exercise routine.

How does spending energy create more energy?

“(Exercise) literally creates energy in your body. Your body rises up to meet the challenge for more energy by becoming stronger,” explains Samantha Heller MS, RD.

Research consistently concludes that regular exercise increases energy levels and reduces fatigue.

2) You’ll Have Fewer Aches and Pains
When your life becomes sedentary (this means you are inactive for most of the day) then you’ll quickly find your body developing aches and pains.

You’ll feel it when you stand up – a throb in your back, creaking in your knees and stiffness in your legs.

This is pain due to underuse.

Your body was meant to move!

Movement improves flexibility and range of motion, and releases natural pain-reducing endorphins, which means that, with a regular exercise program, you’ll be moving smoother and with less pain than ever before.

3) You’ll Feel Happy and Confident
It’s hard to understand how 30 to 60 minutes a day spent on exercise is able to completely transform how you feel about yourself. But it does.

Think back to the last time that you accomplished something. Maybe you performed well at work and received kudos from your boss, or you finished a project at home that took weeks of your time and concentration.

Do you remember how that accomplishment made you feel?

You stood a little bit straighter, you smiled easily, and deep down you felt alive with excitement.

When challenging exercise becomes a regular part of your life, feelings of happiness and confidence also become a part of you.

From now on I want you to forget the idea that exercise is nothing more than a means to achieving a slimmer body.

Instead, look at exercise as a complete life enhancer.

I’m here to warn you of the 5 myths that most people fall for. Don’t waste your time on these:

Myth #1: Take diet pills to boost your effort.

It’s so tempting! The commercials make compelling claims about the power of diet pills, but don’t fall for it. The ‘magic pill’ has yet to be discovered (it has been discovered – exercise. It’s just not in pill form…). Diet pills are more likely to damage your health and burn your pocketbook than to slim you down.

Tip: Don’t pop a pill-instead burn calories with exercise.

Myth #2: Starve the pounds away.

Attempting to lose weight by starving yourself is not only ineffective, it’s also dangerous. It may seem that severe calorie restriction would deliver the quickest weight loss, but your body is complex and by doing so you’ll disrupt your metabolism and slow your results.

Tip: Don’t starve yourself-instead eat healthy small meals throughout the day.

Myth #3: Do extra crunches to flatten your abs.

We all want our midsection to look toned as we stroll down the beach, but excessive crunches aren’t the answer for tight abs. In order to achieve a lean look you’ll have to focus on burning off the layer of fat that is covering up your abs.

Tip: Don’t obsess about crunches-instead focus on fat burning.

Myth #4: Eat packaged diet foods for speedy results. It is amazing to see the kinds of foods that are packaged as ‘diet’ or ‘weight loss’ aids. More often than not these products are packed with refined sugar and other artificial ingredients that your body doesn’t need.

Tip: Don’t eat packaged diet foods-instead stick with nutritious whole foods.

Myth #5: Avoid all carbohydrates in order to slim down.

Carbohydrates have been given a bad rap, which is unfortunate because you can (and should) eat carbs while losing weight. The key is to stick with whole grains, oatmeal and brown rice while avoiding processed and refined flours and sugars.

Tip: Don’t swear off all carbohydrates-instead stick with wholesome carbs.

Now that you know what not to do in order to look great this summer, it’s time to go over your beach ready game plan. Here’s what you need to know in 2 simple steps:

Step One: Cut out the junk.

The best way to do this is to start by purging your kitchen. Get rid of sugary, processed and fat-filled foods. Once the junk has been cleared out don’t buy any more of it. Remember that your beach ready abs depend on what you eat – don’t eat junk!

Step Two: Focus on whole foods.

Replace the junk food in your life with plenty of the following: cooked and raw vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, moderate amounts of seeds and nuts, lean meats and low fat dairy. Clean eating really is that simple.

Have you ever wondered how some people are able to maintain amazing bodies while you struggle with your weight?

They make it seem so easy to achieve and maintain results. What do they know that you don’t? When you boil it down, the answer is quite simple.

The missing link between you and your ideal body is your go-to list of excuses.

Start with an excuse and expect to be excused from losing weight. Here are seven excuses that have ensured dieters will fail in their weight-loss attempts before they ever get started.

Excuse #1: I’ve Always Been Overweight

Here’s a little secret: feeling sorry for yourself will not help you lose weight. Quite the contrary. Whining and crying that you’ve never been thin can actually work against you, as you start to see yourself as stuck being overweight. Do that long enough and all you can see in your future is an overweight you. If you’re going to really cut your weight, you’ve got to be able to envision a lighter you.

Excuse #2: I Worked Out, So I Can Eat Whatever

Working out often makes you hungry. That’s a good thing. You just burned a bunch of calories and your body is looking to make up for them. However, just because you burned a few hundred calories doesn’t mean you get to indulge in any and every food you see. And you certainly can’t eat as much as you want.

Excuse #3: I Don’t Have Time to Exercise

Spend a few days documenting how you use your time. Write down each and every thing you do and how long you do it for. You’ll soon notice how much time you throw in the trash by mindlessly surfing your favorite social media sites and watching television. Transform those times into workout opportunities and toss the time excuse in the trash.

Excuse #4: Exercise Hurts

Some folks are in pain the day after they work out. If this is you and you find yourself feeling like you just rode a horse for three days straight after a workout, the reason is likely that you only hit the gym once a week or every two or three weeks. To get over that uncomfortable soreness after every workout, you’re going to have to go at it at least three times a week. Yes, you’ll still get sore on occasion, but it’ll be an accomplished sore.

Excuse #5: I Love Junk Food

This may seem a hurdle too large to overcome, but if you’re willing to fight for your weight loss, it can be done. To convince yourself that healthy food doesn’t have to be disgusting, spend more time with health-conscious friends who cook and live healthily. Eat what they eat. You’ll be amazed at the wide range of flavours to savour on a healthy diet.

Excuse #6: It’s No Fun Doing It Alone

Then stop trying to diet alone! Grab your healthiest friends and surround yourself with them. When you’re tempted to go off track with your diet or want to skip a workout, call or text your friends for immediate support. They’ll prop you up, remind you of your goals, and encourage you to stay the course.

Excuse #7: My Body Is Delicate

First off, before you start an exercise routine, it’s a good idea to run the idea by your physician. However, unless you have an incredibly rare condition, exercises done with proper technique and eating healthily will not put you at risk for anything but improved health. As soon as you accept the fact that your body can handle much more than you’ve put it through, the sooner you’ll begin enjoying the gym and make better use of your body.

Exercise is a huge part of the equation when it comes to achieving weight loss.

I am passionate about seeing my clients achieve results—without wasting time, energy and effort on mistakes