Keep Your New Year's Resolution: Train with a Purpose

By Carlos Alberto Rivas, M.S., C.S.C.S.

It's that time of year again when you set your New Year's resolutions. This time you really mean it; you are going to lose those extra pounds that have been weighing on you physically and emotionally. You've read about the latest diet fad and you are ready to go. Deep down inside though, there is always self-doubt. You start thinking about your demons and memories of past weight loss failures. All of a sudden, you start to fear failure and don't even get started on your resolution. Negative self-talk gets a hold of your emotions and you begin to eat your favorite comfort food. Sound familiar? If it does, you're not alone, over 60 percent of the population is going through the same process. Some of us try the diet; stay on it until we hit a plateau, then quit trying completely. We find ourselves regaining the weight we lost, and sometimes we gain even more weight!

Q & A

Where do I go wrong? Why am I unable to lose weight? Is it genetics?

These are just a few of the challenging questions we face everyday. As leaders in the fitness industry, we know one thing for certain: if growth and development take place from the bottom up - from physical to emotional to mental to spiritual - then positive change is powered from the top down. The most compelling source of change is spiritual - purpose. Purpose is a source of energy and power. Purpose fuels our focus, direction, passion and perseverance. Results occur for our clients when they are able to cultivate deeper values and define a vision for themselves.

The Values

Defining what matters creates a breakthrough. One of my clients, Tony Glotzbach, focused on five values - commitment, integrity, excellence, self-discipline and perseverance. These values became the true source of his motivation for change. Glotzbach's motivation for exercising hard, even when he doesn't feel like exercising, is cultivated by his values. When negative self-talk (I can't, I don't and I didn't) comes into his mind, he thinks about perseverance, commitment and excellence. Motivation without values won't last. Tony brings a similar thought process to weight training and his eating habits. Between working out and reducing body fat, Tony's energy has increased dramatically. Tony has dropped his weight from 234 pounds to 220 pounds and has reduced percentage body fat from 18 percent to 12 percent. Values will bring passion, commitment and perseverance to whatever you do.

Vision

The first step to realizing your New Year's resolution is to define your purpose. Defining your purpose means creating a vision for how you intend to invest your energy. A compelling vision statement requires a careful balance. On the one hand, in order to provide inspiration it needs to be lofty, ambitious and even a bit overreaching. On the other hand, in order to have clout it needs to be realistic, specific and personal. We give clients an opportunity to write a personal vision statement. Defining a vision becomes a picture of the possible and a blue print for action. Remember change is possible! Purpose is fueled by values - commitment, excellence, hard work and perseverance.

Carlos Alberto Rivas, M.S., C.S.C.S., is the fitness/personal training director at the Baptist East/Milestone Wellness Center. Carlos has a master's degree in exercise physiology and has over 10,000 hours of personal training experience. He is also a member of Kentuckiana HealthFitness magazine's editorial advisory board. Carlos can be reached by phone at 502-896-3900, ext.142.