It’s that time of year again – when resolutions are made and broken almost instantaneously. And I’m not saying that to put down resolutions.

I’m actually in favor of making resolutions. I’m in favor of anything that gets people excited enough to take control of their health and fitness and attempt to make tangible – and permanent – changes in their lives.

Here’s the catch, though. According to countless studies, at least 80% of resolutions fail every year – and in most cases, before the end of February. Why?

Resolutions are thoughts and ideas that sound good while we’re thinking about them, and even when we begin to take positive action on them.

For many people, they have considered those same thoughts and ideas year after year, and yet still find themselves in the same place in life year after year.

Resolutions don’t overcome the root of the problem most people face but fail to address – their mindset, frame of mind and mental approach to consistently sticking to a plan and putting in the work every day, even lack of motivation sets in for them.

We have to overcome obstacles, which often have been ingrained within our psyche for many years. We often hear the phrase, “New Year, New You,” around this time, but the old you plays an integral role in whether that happens.

The process begins with addressing mistakes we have made, excuses we have allowed to creep into our minds, that impacted the decisions we previously made about our health and fitness.

Those bad habits need to be replaced by good habits. To do that, we have to understand why those habits infiltrate our minds in the first place.

I didn’t balloon to nearly 250 pounds in my early adult life simply because I made unhealthy choices in the kitchen and spent most of my daily life sitting at a desk and not getting any exercise.

Those bad habits were merely the end result. I consistently put my health and fitness on the back burner because I felt I had put everyone and everything in his life ahead of my own needs.

Family came first. Career came first. I didn’t even come second, or third, or fourth. I didn’t take care of myself at all.

Once I discovered, with help from family and a health and fitness coach, that being at my best personally leads to being at my best in all facets of life…

The obstacles in my way vanished.

It didn’t occur overnight, of course, but it cleared the way for me to take action by focusing on what’s right in front of me and leaving the past behind.

Why have you struggled to gain control of your health and fitness?

What obstacles do you face that derail plans to improve your well-being?

What steps will you take to address those obstacles and face your journey to better health with a positive mindset?

Being honest with yourself, and delving deep into those answers, are the first steps toward reaching your coveted destination, and learning a lot about yourself.

And if you need help along the way…

Contact me at 814.504.7774 or by email at [email protected], and let’s face that journey together. You can also get more information on my website at fernandesfit.com.