Stay disciplined and focus

When you are trying to meet a fitness goal, dealing with temptations is a reality we all must face. Whether it's avoiding a slice of pizza from a pie the rest of your family is eating or opting for an ice water over a beer, giving in to temptation can quickly derail the best laid fitness plans.

The same goes for skipping workouts. We all have days where we are worn out from a long day or wanting to reset the alarm clock an hour later and go back to sleep. It takes mental strength and toughness to fight through these feelings of doubt and weakness.

The reward of a great workout is self esteem. You feel good about yourself and in today's world of doctors giving out antidepressants like a neighborhood gives out candy on Halloween, we should all try to do more to feel good about ourselves.

Eating well is harder than getting in a good workout. Many people just aren't educated enough about food and what they should eat. A hard workout will not offset bad eating habits. If you run 5 miles, but later on in the day drink a six pack of Budweiser and wolf down half a bag of Doritos, then your workout was pretty much a waste of time.

You want to see real results in how your body looks and feels? Eat healthy. Unfortunately, we live in an instant gratification world. You say to yourself, "I only lost one lb. this week, I worked out hard, ate well, and still didn't get the results I wanted. So forget this, I'm having a pizza tonight." You MUST fight off those thoughts. You have to focus long term and what your goals are.

You say, "I want to lose 15 lbs. before June 21st." That's a worthy goal, but to get there, you will encounter pitfalls, stress, and days where things don't go the way you want. You have to do your best to stay disciplined. Remind yourself what you ate and drank that made you gain that weight in the first place. Granted it is an overused cliche, but taking it "one day at a time", can really help. Treat each day you eat well and work out hard like it's a small victory. String seven days together and it is a bigger victory. One month later you won't believe the improvements you've made.

The best advice I can give is to take a picture of yourself the day before your fitness program begins. Take the picture in a pair of shorts or a bathing suit. That picture will serve two purposes. It will remind you of how disgusted you felt you looked, as well as show you the progress you make during your fitness journey. You can even take pictures every 30 days to further track your progress.

Stay strong, be tough, and keep shooting for those small victories that build up into large conquests. You can do it!