STEP 1: YOUR GOAL 

 The first step is to write down what your big long-term goal is - what is it that you really want to achieve? 

Maybe you’re planning on getting in best shape of your life for your wedding. 

Perhaps you have a summer holiday coming up and you want to feel lean and confident in your swimwear on the beach. 

You might have joined a new sports team or signed up for Tough Mudder and want to get fit and strong. 

Or maybe you need to lose a load of body fat for health reasons. 

Take 5 minutes to think about and write down your big goal. 

Make sure you think bigger than “lose some weight” this should be a goal that will have a big positive impact on your life if you achieve it, be specific. 

Example: I'm going on a week long boat trip around Croatia in the summer and I want to lose body fat and build some muscle so I look and feel good with my shirt off. 

STEP 2: YOUR 'WHY' 

Now we know what your goal is the next step goes a little deeper - why do you want to achieve this goal and why is it important to you? Darren Hardy, the author of The Compound Effect, explains the importance of this pretty well... "Forget about willpower. It’s time for why-power. Your choices are only meaningful when you connect them to your desires and dreams. You’ve got to want something, and know why you want it, or you’ll end up giving up too easily.” Understanding your why makes it easier to stay on track when motivation is lacking (which will inevitably happen at times). Take 5 minutes to think about and write down why you want to achieve your big goal. Explain how achieving this goal will make you feel and what positive impact it will have on your life. Example: This is the trip of a lifetime so I want to make the most of it and create some awesome memories. Feeling confident with my top off instead of feeling self-conscious will help with this massively, I've always been the one wearing a shirt around the pool and I don't want that to be me anymore.