by Tom Venuto
In a small town in Pennsylvania, there is a long-standing tradition with the Famous groundhog, Punxsatawney Phil. On February 2nd, the furry little critter crawls out of his den and if he sees his shadow, it means there will be 6 more weeks of winter. Usually he does, though I always hope otherwise – I would prefer an early spring! Anyway, seeing this amusing American holiday on the news again got me thinking… for most people, weight loss is a lot like groundhog day…
Why Weight Loss Is a Lot Like Groundhog Day: Before I became a full time author, writer and online publisher, I used to work in health clubs. For 14 years, I was a trainer and gym manager, and every January, there was a huge influx of new members. Unfortunately, most of them were GONE by February! I swear this is not “urban legend” or an exaggeration – it’s absolutely true. I used to print out the attendance records to prove it!
The attendance spike in January and the subsequent dip in February were unbelievable. So much for new year’s resolutions.
Did you ever think about what the word “resolution” implies? If you look at the roots of the word, it comes from comes from “resolute” which means a firm determination. But here’s something that most people rarely consider: Words carry certain associations and ambiguities, not necessarily related to their Latin roots.
What I find ironic is that if you sound it out, “resolve” sounds like “RE-solve” as in: to solve the SAME problem again and again, and again and again. Did you ever see that movie (1993), Groundhog Day with Bill Murray, where he wakes up every morning only to re-live the same day over and over again?
Well, for many people, this time of year is like “Groundhog Day for weight loss” – re-living that same 20 pound weight loss from past years, over and over and over again. What could be more frustrating? Isn’t it finally time to stop that madness?
You can make your goals and intentions stick this year – all year – and keep your progress steamrolling forward for life… an unstoppable YOU. It simply takes a different approach than the way most people are doing it every January.
Forget the old approach: Once a year resolutions, quick fixes (pills, fad diets, etc), losing weight (& not just fat…).
This is the new, superior approach: Continuous goal setting combined with purpose, lifestyle change, burning fat & building muscle.
People know that resolutions usually don’t stick, but rather than learning the art of constantly setting real goals which move them step by step along a lifetime path with purpose, they make resolutions again every year anyway.
They pursue the latest, trendiest, newest diet or exercise fad instead of working on the admittedly boring, but effective fundamentals and proven principles (which never change).
They’re focused only on quick results without a long-term growth mindset. And, they’re so caught up in the scale, that all they care about is how much weight they lose, not their all-important body composition (the ratio of muscle to fat).
Thus, with the old approach: You temporarily lose weight and fit in smaller clothes, but you don’t look good out of clothes – you’re just a smaller but still squishy version of your old self… a “skinny fat person.” You start out in a fiery burst of New Year enthusiasm, only to burn out, sometimes in less than a month, and gain back all the weight you lost… Where it sticks on your belly until next January, when you start the cycle of insanity all over again.
Insanity: Continuing to do the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result.
If you want to make real health and body changes that stick, it’s time to change your approach. If you make small, sustainable goals, then achieve them, you then will discover new health, fitness and performance goals to set – trust me, you will – so the health and fitness journey never ends.
“Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see farther.” – Thomas Carlyle
To make this happen, you have to change your mindset.
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