We're almost 8 weeks into the New Year; how are you holding up with your New Year's Resolution? The vast majority of American's have QUIT their resolution by now; more than 90%. Why is that? Fear? Injuries? Lack of results? Difficult? Let me tell you why you HAVE YET to achieve Herculean status like our clients at Show Up Fitness. Buckle in, it's about to get real.

1. Showing Up (this little froggy fella Showed Up, why haven't you?) You didn't make showing up a regular part of your schedule. If I had it my way, I'd prefer everyone to start slower in the New Year i.e. 1-2 workouts a week. I'm a huge advocate of “Winning the Week” (working out with weights at least four times), but the majority of people don't have the discipline to implement this properly. People want results last week. Did you gain that spare tire over night? I don't think so; it was the continuation of NOT SHOWING UP.
2. Fear of failure? Let's be honest, your freaked out of failing AGAIN. Who enjoys failure? “Not I” said the grasshopper. The best quote I've heard in a while, “quit tomorrow.” Ohh I like this. Show Up today, give it everything you've got, tell that inner wussy voice to shove it, and workout. It's not suppose to be easy.
3. Media & taking the easy way out. Robert Tepper said it best in his song “No Easy Way Out”- Rocky 4. Our media F's up our perception on fat loss. Stupid headlines like “Lose 10 lbs in 10 days,” and, “Look amazing by summer with these 3 simple moves”, gives us the impression that we can undo our excessive bad habits in a matter of days / weeks. Are we that stupid? Maybe. My rule of thumb, determine when you were in the best shape of your life (for most of you that'll be in your teens / early twenties.) Now calculate the difference in time- you may need a calculator. Give yourself that amount of time to reach your goals. Can you achieve your results sooner? Definitely, but let's take a different mental approach than your previous failed attempts. Now, start your journey. See #2.
4. Excuses. You got a divorce. You were sick. You slept horrible. You got a boo-boo on your pee-pee. Your tired. Your boss yelled at you. BLAH BLAH BLAH; did you say something? I'm still waiting for action on how you're going to achieve your goal? Everyone has excuses, but no one cares about them. The President works out and I believe his plate is a wee bit fuller than yours. I had a client who lost over 50 lbs with less than four hours of sleep. His wife just had a beautiful baby girl, and his journey was going to be tough. He made the decision that it's his life and he's the only person who decides the outcome. Inner voice squashed, Kaapoowwweeeeeeeee!
5. Injuries. Your body gave out because you went from 0-60 within the first few weeks of the New Year. You didn't go from hot to fat overnight; it's a process. Running, jumping, and moving improperly increases your chance at some sort of overuse injury if you perform those movements improperly. Own the movement. Subscribe to this channel to make sure your squatting, dead lifting and warming up properly CLICK HERE.
6. Pollution. Not the hippie-dippie stuff. The pollution within the fitness industry. There's so much crap out there, how can you decipher the good from the bad? Stick to people with credentials (such as CSCS, PhD.,) or a proven track record. Follow, and educate yourself properly from the likes of: Bret Contreras, Tony Gentilcore, Girls Gone Strong, Dead Somerset, and the Teta Brothers. General rule of thumb: be extremely cautious of DVD's and anyone with an upbeat, and annoying personality.

Here's how to stop failing and achieve awesomeness for the remainder of 2015. Remember, just because you've failed, doesn't mean you're a failure. Let's redirect our energy for 2015 and start kicking some ass. You gave up a homerun and now you want to quit? Revert to #2- tell that inner voice to Shut the F&*% up. This is your year; OWN IT!

1. Quit tomorrow. No more excuses peeps, that was the old you. You're going to quit tomorrow. Buy some bands (purchase here) and get a gym membership- set aside one hour four times a week.
2. Win the Week. For the month of March. I want you to workout three days during the week and one weekend day i.e. MWF & Sat. If you get drunk and “cheat” on Tuesday, workout W,Th & Fri- boom you've won the week! Repeat.
3. Make a time card. Everyone has 24 hours in a day- I'm sorry, you're not that special. Play detective and findout where you're wasting time. I guarantee you've got opportunities to workout within the “hectic” day of yours. Need help? Call me; I'll kick your ass into shape.
4. Stop worrying about nutrition. WTF? Yes, you can say you heard it from Show Up Fitness. Let's address nutrition in April. For now, we're focusing on 1 & 2. If you can maintain an exercise routine for a month, you've earned the right to talk about nutrition. If your neurotic and need some nutrition advice, here it is&Drink half your body weight in water every day and eat more fruits and vegetables. That's it. Remember whose the professional here, me, not you. Don't change your eating habits, focusing ALL YOUR ENERGY on working out 4-6x a week.
5. No more Enjoyment. WTF x2? Once again, jot that down because you heard it first from Show Up Fitness. We focus WAY too much on having FUN during our workouts- YAAAA, YIPPPPEEEE; Fluffy bunnies and baby kittens; HIIIIIIIIIII! Stop. Do you want to achieve results and look amazing naked, or do you want to have fun? Go to a class or “fun” workout 1-2x a week, but those don't count towards the four workouts- that's self fulfillment. You go to work daily and I'm pretty sure you hate your job, so stop trying to enjoy exercise. Our cave brothers and sisters probably didn't enjoy walking hundreds of miles for food, or starving in a cave for the winter, but they did it so you could “enjoy” your caramel fat drink Starbucks. Did you ever think that the enjoyment comes from self love? Tell yourself that your freaking awesome and that lifting weights is fun. I've never had a client get all poopy from setting a PR on bench, dead-lift or pull-ups. Challenging yourself and accomplishing new heights feels amazing. Learn to love lifting weights and watch those GAINZ (with a capitol Z) pour in!
6. Show Up. If you implement these 6 strategies, I GUARANTEE you'll be looking, feeling, humping, and talking highly of yourself in 30 days from now.

Is this tough love or the truth? I'd love to hear your thoughts.