by Kyle Rolf

Created on: January 20, 2009

Its that time of the year. Everyone is talking about new years resolutions, gym memberships and shopping to get the latest in sports apparel to help them achieve their weight loss goals. In reality though, what does it really take to shed pounds and reach your goals? I've listed a few tips to help you achieve your goals and perhaps fulfill one of your new years resolutions!

Be optimistic and keep it realistic -

Set a goal for yourself, whether it be losing a 3 inches off the waistline or dropping 40 pounds. Just make sure you don't exceed normal expectations, as this is not something possible overnight. As these things take time, be sure to be patient! For encouragement, take a photo of yourself every week to build a snowball effect and keep your ambition alive.

In order to start your quest toward becoming a lean mean fighting machine, you need to have some sort of methodology. Simply thinking the pounds will miraculously fall off might lead to some disappointment. An excellent example for this would be my mother, who was driven to lose weight but wanted to do so on her own terms. She found an activity she enjoyed (kick boxing) and made it a part of her weekly schedule. Starting gradually, she enjoyed it so much she eventually went three times a week to be compounded with light weight lifting. Once again, not overnight did she manage to lose 40+ pounds, but over the course of a year with other minor changes it was possible.

Assuming you have some sort of physical activity in mind, build on it. Use that inspiration to find a group that shares your common interest (for me, I prefer flag football or soccer. These are both excellent choices for cardio and are very enjoyable to me). By joining a team, you are adding responsibility to your life, which in turn makes it easier to attend (also under the assumption you are a reliable person!).

If team sports are not your cup of tea, perhaps a gym membership is more in line for you. I say gym membership as opposed to home gym because of the motivation factor. If you are paying to attend as opposed to making a one time payment, then you lose interest and watch the dust gather on that "investment". It also helps that many gyms these days have certified personal trainers that can guide beginning members for a small fee. Personal trainers are great, as they can answer any questions you might have and put you on the right track to getting the results you're looking for.

At this point, you should be feeling great about yourself.

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