You make it look easy.

That must be easy for you by now.

You did that like it was nothing.

These are all things I hear over and over again when it comes to health and fitness. After working in a large commercial gym, owning a personal training studio and training in some capacity since I was four years old, I only have this to say:

If it looks easy, you’re not looking close enough.

I have to fight myself most days to achieve the results I want from my workouts. I have doubt. I have fear. I have days when I absolutely, positively want to vomit when I look at my workout plan and, in over 10 years of racing, it has not gotten any easier.

This is the month we become resolute. We make promises to ourselves, we think and dream and maybe even act on these intentions. What I want to caution everyone with is, change is not easy, if it were, everyone would achieve their goals and we would hardly need a month of resolutions.

I’m not saying you can’t do it, because I would never say that, but I’m asking you to really think about what achieving this resolution will look like and if you’re ready to take it on.

I have already asked myself the same.

What Is The Real Intention?

I used to ask this of all my personal training clients. I don’t want to hear “I want to lose weight,” but why you want to lose weight. What changes in your life with your weight loss? How do you see your day as a slimmer person? What does it do for you and to you specifically?

On the days you want to quit, you will desperately need the answers to those questions.

It Comes From You

No matter how many plans you make to meet up at the gym or go for a run with friends, the only person you can really count on to reach your goals is you.

It’s so amazing seeing the stream of photos in your Instagram feed with #riserun on an endless loop but, what you’re seeing is the end point. What is not pictured is how many times that morning the runner hit the snooze button, fumbled around in the dark praying to not wake up the kids and then mother-effing, out loud but to herself, in the cold darkness of the morning, since no one else is out there.

But she is.

And you better believe she will achieve her goals.

Will you?

That track isn’t going to run itself, no matter how long you stare at it.

Set Yourself Up To Succeed, Or Don’t

Make a list of every excuse you have and then beat it:

I’m tired – Who isn’t? Next!

I don’t have time – No one does but if you really want to, you make time.

It’s hard – No shit. See above.

I’m not seeing results – Keep going and you will.

I want to quit – Do you want to go back to what was? Remember why you made this resolution in the first place.

Setbacks will happen and are perfectly normal. Simply acknowledge that you skipped a workout and ate a bacon cheeseburger with fries and half a bottle of wine on a Tuesday and just move on and begin fresh on Wednesday.

Embrace the Hard

I’m here to tell you it doesn’t get easier. It gets better because you start to bask in the beauty of your results, but you have to keep at it every day, including the days you really don’t want to. Goals are bastards like that.

So, chose your resolutions wisely, know it will be hard and may not get much easier, and then attack it every day until 2018. That’s how to train for life.

[Tweet “If you set a #NewYear #Resolution, read this! #thehardmakesitgreat #train4life”]

Did you make a resolution, goal or intention for the new year?

Did you achieve your resolution, goal or intention from last year?

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