We all know that in order to achieve a certain goal especially gaining muscle or losing fat, consistency is the first thing that comes in mind. Without consistency, nothing else matters and you're just setting yourself up for failure. If you think about, majority of the people who starts their New Year's resolution with a goal of losing weight in mind fail because of their inability to commit to their goal. The lack of commitment in their part only delays the process of achieving success, which therefore leads to sub-par results.
Based on my experience, the top reason why many of these so called "dedicated" fails is because of the following. In many ways, these concepts can also apply to goals other than losing weight or gaining muscle mass.
- The lack of proper knowledge in order to achieve the goal in mind.
While a lot of people can go to the gym and hop on the thread mill or bicycle for an hour, a lot of them neglect the most important piece of the puzzle, which is dieting. Dieting or eating healthier can be boring at times but neglecting this part gives you zero chance of ever coming close to your goal. Trust me on this.
- Lack of patience.
Like the great Egyptian pyramid, it takes time to build a great physique. With that in mind, every single step taken towards reaching for that goal counts towards building the final product or foundation (your body).
- Part-time dedication.
Imagine yourself in a 50-yards race track side by side among other competitors. With the ultimate goal of finishing first, should you give your absolute best performance or walk your way into the finish line? I know that everyday is a constant battle whether pushing yourself to go to the gym or just eating healthier. That's not even a question. I know personally that it can be tough especially when the temptation of food is everywhere. It's easy to binge or overeat especially when hunger strikes, and that's why I eat little snacks in between meals.
If you decided to go for the slower route, then your dedication is a "part-time" commitment. Such individuals who are involved part-time in their quest towards achieving success often slacks off by either making poor decision by eating poorly just because they can always catch up. Catching up means eating way less and/or prolonging their workout sessions to burn the calories from early on. The basic principle of consistency is then neglected.
While I admire the effort of these part-time dedicated individuals, making such partial efforts only brings them back to the start line where they originally started. I remember how great I feel mentally and physically after eating a healthy, well-portioned meal. I can then bring that great confidence into the gym where I know that all my efforts will not be wasted on burning bad calories, but rather towards burning fat that is already there. While eating bad foods can be great and inhibits satisfaction for a short-period of time, there's no other worse feeling in the world than knowing that you just took a big step backwards instead of forward. Whenever you attempt to eat anything, a good mental habit is to first determine if whether what you're eating will help you take a step forward or take you two steps backwards. Is drinking alcohol or eating a burger even worth it? Sure dining out and drinking alcohol is fine once in a while...but be sure to take in consideration your goal, in which you'll have to make a decision on whether you'd want to pursue it the slow or the fast way.