Dedicated Or Obsessed?

The athletes that participate in the Olympics are absolutely incredible. They literally train for 6-8 hours a day. That is what it takes to be the best in the world. Now what do an Olympic athlete and someone looking to drop bodyfat or someone looking to get fit have in common? Dedication.

Plain and simple, you have to be dedicated to your goal. In fitness I see too many people who start out with guns blazing only to fizzle out after 2 weeks. Now if J.R. Celski, the speed skater I mentioned earlier, would have given up after his wreck 5 months ago, he never would have had the opportunity to stand on that Olympic platform. He may have been momentarily beaten, but it obviously didn't last long and his dedication paid off.


Whatever your fitness goals might be, realize that in the grand scheme of things 1 month or even 6 months is a pretty small period of time. So why do people expect to drop the 50 pounds they put on in the last 10 years in a much shorter period of time? Now I'm not saying it should take 10 years to drop 50 pounds, but everyone needs to realize that you've probably developed some pretty nasty habits in that time and it takes a while to change those habits.

So if your ultimate goal is 50 pounds, break that down into smaller, more manageable goals. Or simply set your goal to be one of staying with one exercise program for 6 months or one year and see where that takes you. I'm certain Celski didn't start rehab with the goal in mind to win the Bronze Medal. He probably just wanted to see if he could get himself healthy enough to compete again.