Reason 1: Not Working Hard Enough

 Very often, when a client is sitting down in front of me, frustrated that he or she can’t reach his or her body transformation goals, I ask them to describe their workout to me. Very often, I find that they simply aren’t putting in the effort necessary to change their body.

You don’t need to vomit every workout, but you should be working hard. It’s very hard to describe in text what hard work feels like, especially since everyone reading this will think “I already work hard.” But I encourage you to do 1 workout with someone you notice in the gym where you think “now that person is working hard.” Or work with a personal trainer.

 

Reason 2: Working Hard at the Wrong Things

 On the rare occasion when I do see someone working hard and their body isn’t changing, it’s usually because they’re working hard at the wrong things.

The most common area where this happens is too much cardio. I see people sweating like pigs on the cardio machines, yet their body isn’t changing. Let’s plug a little common sense here. If you’re doing something for months without the results that you want, shouldn’t you change what you’re doing?

 

Reason 3: Waiting for the Perfect Time

 People who wait for just the perfect time to start changing their body have a small chance to actually get to their goals. When a prospect tells me “I’ll start exercising after my vacation, which is in two and a half months” or they tell me “I’ll start exercising in the New Year (and right now, it’s only October)”, I think “right. Alert the press.”

The truth is when a person is motivated enough, they start either that same day or the next day. There is no waiting around.

It’s never going to be the perfect time. Time will always be a challenge. Budget may always be a challenge, so if you wait for the perfect time, you’ll never transform your body.

 

Reason 4: Not Enjoying the Process

 Sure, it’s good to have your eyes on the prize, which might be a size 2 dress, or washboard abs. At the same time, you need to actually enjoy the process of getting there. Otherwise, when you get there, you’ll stop doing the activities that got you there in the first place.

You have to enjoy exercise and proper nutrition for their own sake.

 

Reason 5: Not Addressing Nutrition

You can’t out-exercise a bad diet. It’s almost a cliché, but it’s a cliché for a reason: it’s true. You need to combine smart exercise with good basic nutrition.

 

 

Reason 6: Being Impatient

In the world of instant everything, we want results yesterday. Often, when results don’t come as fast as the magazines and infomercials will have you believe, we get discouraged. Don’t do that.

Find small ways to measure progress. Are your clothes looser? Are you getting compliments? Do you have better energy?

 

Reason 7: Not Enlisting Social Support

The single greatest factor that will determine your success isn’t whether you follow a low-carb or a low-fat diet. It’s not whether you decide to do bench press or triceps kickbacks. The single greatest factor that will determine your success is how many people know about your goals, and how many of them are rooting for you.

Imagine telling everyone you know about your goals. Now imagine two months down the line, when you’re not as motivated as you were at the beginning, and you start to think about quitting. Then you imagine every one of your friends and family members asking “how’s your body transformation coming along?” How would you feel if you said “I failed. I’m off the wagon”? Not good, I’ll bet. So chances are that to avoid embarrassment, you’ll continue on your body transformation.

It’s a form of self-blackmail, but it works great.

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