It’s crazy how barren my gym has been as of late. Rewind back to January where I would have to plan my gym workouts around the “rush hours”, and even then it would still be crowded. Yep, it’s official: the “New Year’s Resolutioners” had officially starting dropping their gym memberships like it’s hot!

You see in January, motivation is at it’s peak. January is the month where people tell themselves they’re going to stay consistent, lose weight, eat better, etc. the sad reality for most is, however, those aspirations are a high priority for about a month, or maybe two for the really dedicated bunch. Shortly after March, the weight room has shifted back to it’s empty state. Even in a town full of youth and where appearance is of high value, Hollywood is no exception to this annual phenomenon.

I started thinking about the factors that caused this “dedication dropout”. how can people be so dead set on achieving their dream physique, only to shortly revert back to their old habits? if only there was a way to keep that January motivation burning hot…

I want to go over the factors that cause the lack of motivation. I truly love seeing people achieve their goals – so here are a few tips that will hopefully enlighten you and keep you workin’ hard.

Why We Lose our Edge

Expecting overnight results

They say you won’t get fat overnight – well you’re not gonna get lean overnight either. Yes, time and effort are both required. you have to accept this – there’s no quick fix. Be consistent, and over time, results will reward you for your hard work.

Frustration ensues because we are accustomed to getting what we want, when we want. well I hate to break it to ya, but transforming your physique just doesn’t come with a shortcut, period. Whether your goal be fat loss or muscle gain, both will demand a lot of work, commitment and time, before you reap the rewards.

Don’t get frustrated so quick. if you’ve been following a 1400 calorie diet for ten days, threw in a few Spin Classes and a couple weight routines, you probably won’t look like Brad Pitt or Megan Fox just yet. make the right moves, and improvements will keep coming your way.

The first two weeks of a program are often the hardest to overcome. not only are you increasing your physical workload by working out, but fat loss is slow at best in this initial time span. after the two week mark is when fat loss really revs up and starts coming off. It’s like trying to push a truck in neutral. from that initial push, it takes awhile to build up speed, but once you get going, you can start to move that car a lot quicker. after the first couple weeks on your fitness regimen, you will start seeing increased results.

“I don’t need to work out today, I’ll go tomorrow!” my friends, putting your fitness goals on hold is simply another day being of out shape. Take action today, seize the moment! the quicker you do so, the closer you’ll be to the body you’ve always wanted! bottom line: Just do it. and be consistent. after you attain your goals, all you have to do is maintain and not revert back to your old bad habits. Voila!

You are getting bad advice

The world of fitness is vast, and there is a ton of information out there. Even trying to educate yourself from websites or magazines can end in undesirable results, because there is a lot of bad information out there. A lot of the “expert nutritionists” recommend us diets that scream “body fat” all over them! I got on Wikipedia and discovered that you will see on food labels today, Food Pyramid guidelines from 1992! Eighteen years outdated in the Nutrition World, where things are constantly changing and in motion. not good.

And don’t even get me started on the Fitness World. Most fitness sites out there are run and moderated by people who want to gain as much muscle as possible, with reckless abandon. I call it the “Meathead Look”. so while you may want to remain lean and toned (as you should), you’re getting advice from guys who are guiding you toward a WWF type physique.

Bottom line, you can’t trust everything you see, read or hear. Don’t get it twisted, there are plenty of great sites out there that will surely aid you in your goals; just be aware of the reality: There are far fewer good ones than of the bad and the ugly.

You think you can’t make time for exercise

Just because you have an agenda, that doesn’t excuse you to kick your health and fitness to the curb. It doesn’t require marathon workouts every day to achieve a killer physique. in fact, on my website I have a ton of outstanding fat burning workouts that can be done in less than 45 minutes (none of which require a treadmill either… nice!)

If you want to eat better, you’re going to have to change your ways. Most people can’t go home to cook healthy stuff three or four times a day, so plan ahead and prepare. you can cook a whole bunch of chicken breasts on Monday, keep them in zip-lock bags, and grab a few before heading out about your day. because if you’re like me, when you’re starving, you’ll pretty much eat anything you can get your hands on… and if a Krispy Kreme is nearby, that won’t help anything except making those love handles bigger.

Learn to love your veggies, because they should make up the majority of your diet. Prepare your meals in advance and if you do eat out, make smart choices.

Going to the gym might require an hour or so of hard work, but you’re accountable for your diet 24/7. for better or for worse, maintaining a healthy nutritional plan requires a lot more discipline than working out.

First off, you don’t need a gym membership to attain a great physique. Yes, heavy weight lifting is the best method for building lean muscle, but you can still have a great workout with minimal equipment required. Bodyweight exercises are absolutely amazing for you. Nothing can really beat the pullup in terms of exercises. Like I said earlier, you think you don’t have time to exercise? well here’s an example of a workout I came up with off the top of my head – time required: 20 minutes:

No Equipment Workout: Complete each exercise before moving on to the next; repeat the circuit for 20 minutes resting only when needed. This will challenge your strength and cardio

-40 mountain climbers-20 pushups-20 split jumps-20 prisoner squats (10 each side)-40 jumping jacks

This is an example of a bodyweight interval workout. It’ll make you sweat and it only takes 20 minutes, so no more excuses about not having time to get in shape. “Making time for the gym isn’t always possible – making time for fitness is”.

If you want to change your body, you HAVE to change your habits

Losing fatWhen it all boils down, nutrition accounts for 80% of what you will look like. you can follow a solid workout routine, but if your diet isn’t dialed in, you’ll just be spinning your wheels. Diet is the catalyst for fat loss. Resistance training and cardio are excellent tools to be used to expedite your goals, but you can’t out exercise a bad diet. People often underestimate how many calories they take in. Keep yourself accountable for what you eat. how and what you decide to eat is all in your hands; the Catch 22 is that it’s also the easiest thing to screw up.

If you want to gain lean mass, the weight room will become your friend. As stated earlier, heavy weights are the most effective route in this regard. oh, and the whole “bulk and cut” cycle is for the guys who run the “Meathead Look” sites, so leave that to them. your diet should support muscle recovery but not fat gain if you want to remain lean year-round.

When you enter the gym, come in with a plan. know what you’re going to be doing. Hey I’m all about being spontaneous, but winging your workouts won’t produce the results you desire. have some sort of structure.

Pre-planning your exercise routine may seem monotonous, but it’s the best way to measure your progression and yield results.

Tips from someone who’s been there

* the best way to stay accountable is to find a gym buddy. Ideally, get someone who is close to your level of fitness. Push each other and have fun with it. make sure your workout buddy isn’t going to bail on half of your workouts – you want someone equally determined as you are.

* One word, iPod. Trust me, it’s the best money I’ve ever spent. Keep your playlist updated – It may sound weird, but a new song on my iPod always makes me want to hit the gym.

* Step away from the scale! Weighing yourself five times a day is not only obsessive, it’s setting you up for disaster. Remember, scale weight includes your previous meal, water, and everything else. Fluctuation will obviously occur. so you don’t drive yourself insane, only hop on the scale once a week. do not weigh yourself on a Monday. the reason? the weekend is for loosening the reins a bit, so you might find your Monday weight to be a bit depressing. Go with a day toward the end of the work week when you’ve been on your best behavior. Friday morning would be my recommendation.

* looking forward to things in advance can be channeled into motivation. Whether it be for a vacation, getting beach-ready, or an attempt to score a date with your hot co-worker, find something that will keep you pressing on. Like I’ve mentioned before: Achieving a Hollywood Body is not easy. use all the weapons in your arsenal to keep on track.

* Reward yourself. Don’t try and be 100% perfect on your diet. Live a little, have a cheat meal every now and then. or even a cheat day – letting your nutritional guard down every once in awhile is A-Ok. if you’ve been eating clean for you most part, you probably deserve it anyway!

Follow the 80-20 Rule: Eat clean and health 80% of the time and be bad 20% of the time. if you do so, you will be well on your way to that lean Hollywood Body.