EVERY January sees scores of people embark on a series of New Year resolutions and training programmes, the vast majority of which are broken within a couple of days.
Thame-based fitness guru George Anderson says the key to success is building an image of yourself in the future and striving towards that.
He said: “One of the reasons these resolutions fail so frequently is that they’re not tied into a vision of what life will be like once they’ve been achieved.
“I’ve found that people who have a clear vision of how they’re going to feel and how their life is going to be different have the best chances of success.”
George, who features in the latest edition of Men’s Fitness magazine, has the following tips to help people succeed with their resolutions.
“Sit down for an hour and imagine it’s December 2012. Write a summary of your achievements over the last 12 months as though you’ve already achieved them.
“This process triggers a part of your brain called the automatic success mechanism that will cause you to strive towards making it a reality.
“Then figure out what habits you need to create in order to make this a reality.
“Write these new habits down in the present tense and from a positive angle.
“For example I always start the day with a healthy protein-rich breakfast rather than ‘I am not going to eat highly-fattening cereals for breakfast anymore’.
“Accept that it’s going to take at least 21-28 days to form these new habits.
“You’ll be very aware of being outside your comfort zone while your brain adapts to the new way of doing things but just roll with it and soon you’ll be flying on autopilot.
“Constantly re-read your vision of the future to remind yourself where you’re headed.
“Not only does this keep your automatic success mechanism firing on all cylinders but it also serves as a motivator to remind you why you’re doing this.”
George runs {http://www.thamebootcamp.co.uk|Boot Camps| boot camp} at various times of the day in Thame, Oxford and Aylesbury and offers a free trial.