Since 2002, I have been able to help hundreds of people improve their health, burn fat, build muscle and get into the best shape of their lives. Now, make no mistake about it, a big part of this is our properly designed rapid fat loss interval training program and nutritional guidance. I have done the research for you and trust me when I say, our system flat out works. But, today I am going to share something more powerful; something that must be set in place before you can even start to think about following a fitness program.

So, here it is:

What do you think is the real secret behind my clients and their success stories? Well, if your answer was my aforementioned boot camp training and nutrition systems, then your answer is wrong. Indeed, it is one of the most time efficient and effective programs you’ll ever see, but unfortunately it’s useless if someone is unwilling to start it AND stick to it, right? So, it appears that the most important component of changing your body is finding the motivation to achieve your goals, and that’s the main focus of this article today. I want to explain the exact process wew go through when it comes to identifying who is going to succeed as a training client. It’s a “consultation” and three step goal setting process that each one of my clients undergoes before they start working with us.

Before I outline this process, let me just come clean with something. There are a lot of people who think defining real goals with a real plan is a little far fetched, almost useless. They just want the “magic bullet”. Right here, right now, no real plan, no hard work.

Unfortunately, these people just don’t get it and frankly if you are one of those people, please do us both a favor and stop reading this article and go buy another useless weight loss diet pill or some fitness magazine down at the book store, because I simply cannot do anything for you.

Take no offense, but I can only help people who want to learn and are committed to changing their life. I simply cannot help people who already think they know it all and think they are too good to take some time to figure out what the heck it is that they actually want to accomplish.

The bottom line is that the most successful people out there, and I mean not just weight loss success, I am talking business, lifestyle, etc., are shamelessly goal driven. They know exactly why they want to do something and harness that super motivation to figure out what and by when they want to go about accomplishing that. In addition, they plan and prepare for every possible roadblock they will encounter in their path to success. This is what I want to teach you how to do today, so let’s get to it!

Step One- The Why: Why do you want to do this?

This is where it’s time to get real. In almost every initial client consult, when I ask why they have contacted me today, here is the typical blanket response that I first hear:

“Well, I guess I want to get healthy and lose some weight.”

That is good start, but if you think that’s all, you’d be mistaken. There has got to be more to this. Sure, I know they want to lose weight and be healthy, I mean who doesn’t, but really WHY do they want to do this? I mean, what is it that’s going to get them up at 5 am to get their morning workouts in or take a couple of hours on Sunday to plan and prepare their meals for the upcoming week? It sure isn’t “being healthy” because for some reason this just isn’t a very powerful motivator for most people (though it should be).

Let’s face it: everybody wants to look better naked. Stop giggling, you know it’s true and frankly that’s okay. Because whether you admit it or not, the desire to improve one’s appearance is the most powerful motivator on the planet. You want to feel strong, empowered, sexy AND attractive, if not for a significant other, then for ourselves…but probably a combination of both.

So, after a little more digging, I find out the real reason why they want to do this; I want to pinpoint their past or pain and then establish their current and future ambitions. Some people want to be able to mow the lawn in the summer with their shirt off and not feel self-conscious. Others want to get back into their favorite pair of pants that they haven’t been able to get one leg into for the last five years. Others want tighten up their skin, and “see” muscle definition. Then there are those who want to look and feel more attractive to ignite some passion back into their relationships or improve their physical image for work or career. And of course, my personal favorite is preparing for big events that have built in deadlines. Maybe you want to get as lean and tight as possible for you new bathing suit, sitting on the beach during your big Hawaiian vacation. Maybe you or a family member is getting married and you want to “wow” everyone with your new body. Whatever it is, there IS a motivation behind putting in all the sweat equity that comes with our boot camp training. This is the stuff that gets people hyped up and ready to commit to making some real changes.

So, the first thing you have to figure out is your personal WHY. To make this even simpler for you, just answer this question: what are your physical dreams? Once you establish this, everything else is easy.

Be sure to leave a comment here telling me about YOUR "why"...

PS- Stay tuned for steps II and III later in the week...