Have you ever found that for whatever the reason, your motivation to obtain a certain goal is just not there? You have already thought about what it is that you would like to accomplish; you have a mind eye's view of what you want to look like when you get to your goal. But for some reason, you cannot get out of the starting blocks!

The fitness and weight loss goal is one that collectively, many Americans want to tackle over the next few months. Most people start their programs in the first week of January (the New Year). If youıre the type of person who has good intentions but doesn't act on them, then read on for a real strategy which you can use to achieve outstanding results in no time at all!

Those of you wanting some real motivation should check out Lee Labrada's 12 week Lean body Challenge, which starts on January 10th. Just click here for more information www.leanbodychallenge.com

Don't Pre-Contemplate

Psychologists will tell you that when one starts thinking about a particular goal or accomplishment that they wish to achieve they are in the "pre-contemplation stage."

Goal setting is something that we are all asked to do.

Teachers are asked to submit lesson plans so that the various coordinators of education can see if their plans will meet what are thought to be correct learning milestones. In other words, educators and the classroom teachers collaborate so that the students in the class are taught the tools to accomplish the pre-set goals.

Athletes are asked to set goals for the season. Teams set the goal of winning the championship, and athletes, coaches and trainers plan the tactics to get the team to their ultimate goal. Before a season starts, teachers, coaches, management and of course the players think about what they wish to achieve (this is pre-contemplation) and this naturally leads to putting together the specific action plan that will allow the goal to be obtained.

If your goals involve things such as weight loss, getting into an exercise plan, learning to read food labels, how to meal plan and so on ­ you have already pre-contemplated, so once the idea pops into your head, move ahead to the next stage ­ "making a plan."

Formatting the Plan

Let's say, for sake of argument, that you have been longing to lose weight and get into better shape, but have not really done anything about it. How about grabbing a pen, a piece of paper or even your PDA and writing down what you wish to achieve?

Leave plenty of room for elaborating on each goal between your bullet points of your ultimate goals. Use this time to contemplate exactly how you can (and will) achieve your goals. Your plan needs to be specific ­ in other words, allow yourself to have methods of determining small or short-term goals, medium-term goals, long-term goals and of course, your ultimate goals.

For example, if you are looking to lose weight, one might plan to learn how to read a food label, learn how to count calories, determine realistic meal plans, sign up for the weekly newsletters from Lee Labrada (see www.labrada.com for the personalized coaching plans), plan to weigh in once per week ­ while setting realistic weight loss goals (1-2 pounds a week) and other such related ideas.

The plan for success at any endeavor needs to be written. Writing out your life plan (or weight loss plan or fitness plan, etc.) will empower you to be accountable to yourself for planning, staging, achieving and accomplishing each rung on the ladder to success. Planning allows one to learn in-depth about the topic or area that one wishes to achieve. Having a coach, a trainer or a partner to join you in achieving the goal can only help ­ providing a natural support system for success. Have you ever observed a winner who achieved any goal solely on his or her own? It's okay to have a team in your corner too.

Take Action

Let's say that by now you have written three of four realistic goals that you wish to achieve over the next few months or one-year. Also, let's add that within each of these goals, you have formatted the plan of attack to achieve your goals ­ you have taken the correct steps so far, but there is more to do.

Now that you are armed with a global and a specific plan, it is time to enact your plan. It is time to take action. Be bold and do not be shy. Go grab yourself information on what the taking action part of your plan means. This may be information on a personal trainer or a new pair of running shoes, plus a subscription to a magazine and this online coaching tool to help motivate you week in and week out.

For example, if one of your goals is to gain muscle (with the premise being you already lift weights), your action plan would be to start keeping a log of your workouts (so you can note and realize what works for you and where you fail to progress), to read and implement strength gaining routines into the workout (downloadable from this site or from magazines such as Menıs Health, Men's Fitness or even The Book of Muscle by Ian King and Lou Shuler) and other such simple, yet forgettable and often overlooked ideas.

The gist is simple; you have the ideas, note your action plan, then make the action a reality. Do whatever it takes to get on the road to success. Five easy steps are all that it really takes to be on your road to success, no matter what the goal is.

The Five Steps of Action Success:

1) Lay out a realistic short and long-term plan.

2) Keep a diary of your progress on the plan so that you can reformulate your plan as needed.

3) Utilize professional services so that you have assistance and a support team in achieving your goals.

4) TAKE ACTION

5) Repeat the actions that it takes for you to achieve your goals until these patterns become part of your normal routines (this can help from back-slipping and losing your achievements).

Breaking down the "Actionable" Steps (using weight control as an example):

Goal setting ­ each week you must set two small nutrition and fitness oriented goals to achieve that week. Setting small, but obtainable goals and reviewing these goals at weekıs end will allow you to mark your progress towards your larger goal.

Planning ahead ­ It cannot be said enough, "those who plan, achieve. Those who fail to plan, fail!" With weight loss or lifestyle enhancement, nothing happens by chance. Your first right step was in coming to me. Now, it is up to you to continue planning through goal setting, menu planning (if you plan ahead what you are going to eat for your meals/snacks) it would make it that much easier to achieve your goal.

Keeping a food diary ­ The utility of a food (and exercise) diary is underappreciated. Having the personal responsibility to note throughout the day what you eat, the serving size and your frame of mind at the time you are eating can go a long way in recognizing possible behavior patterns as well as the quality of your food choices.

Exercise Daily ­ Exercise burns calories and makes weight loss and sustained weight loss easier. Do it daily and success is yours. Keeping an exercise diary can go a long way for both promoting you to be active and for you to track how you feel and how your exercise performance is as related to the foods that you are eating.

Mental toughness ­ to achieve requires willingness to persevere through trying times. In terms of weight loss, the "hard time" may be a weight loss plateau or sticking point, jealousy of others or certain social situations. Positive assurance and self-affirmation is always appropriate, resting on one's laurels however is not.

Positive attitude ­ having the belief that you can obtain your goal is the first step in getting there. Once the mind commits, the body follows. Keep in mind that exercise helps the body in weight loss and in the preferential loss of fat weight.

Plan Meals ahead ­ when wanting to eat healthy, lose weight or know exactly what you are eating, plan your meals in advance. This means, being cognizant of when you are going to travel, eat out and need to food shop. Being prepared is one of the keys to success.

Drink plenty of water. - The rule of thumb is half your body weight in ounces of water. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, drink 100 ounces of total fluid spread out evenly throughout the day.

Add Fiber - Aim for 25 to 35 grams of fiber (total fiber) daily. Besides helping with regularity and maintaining or lowering cholesterol, high-fiber diets keep your appetite satiated longer.

Tips when dining out ­ no matter where you eat when you eat out, eat one-half of the entree, then wait for 10 minutes. Most of the time, you wonıt feel like eating the rest. That's because waiting in mid-meal gives your stomachıs stretching sensors time to signal the brain that it is full. In this way, you can enjoy more of the foods you like, without setting yourself up for unnecessary weight gain.

When traveling ­ plan ahead (daily) and do not let yourself ever go more than four hours without eating (except for when you sleep).

How to Pick a Support Team

Have you ever watched a medical drama show ­ such as ER? In these types of shows there is always a physician or three, nurses, medical assistants, clerks, therapists and so on. When you look at the whole as just described, this defines a support team. The lead physician running the code or a surgery or whatever has the support of other physicians, nurses and so on.

Letıs take that analogy to you and your goals. In our drama, you and your goals are the lead physician and all of the other team members are the assistants there to help you achieve the goal. For weight loss, a Registered Dietitian or nutritionist and smart nutritional products are in order. For exercise, a strength and/or running coach top the list; for flexibility, perhaps a yoga instructor; for mental health ­ a psychologist, and for many a life coach can help coordinate keeping the life in order.

Of course, you can do all of this yourself. Just find someone that you trust that you can be accountable to on a weekly basis. I often look at Labrada Coaching and the personalized newsletters and guidance offered as part of the team approach for support. Even the most seasoned athletes have assistants that keep them in top shape, why shouldn't the person who is just starting out on the road to fitness of wellness do the same? When you have questions, send them to asklee@labrada.com. The additive nature and synergy of using for example Labrada products while looking to lose weight or reduce risks of diabetes and heart disease just makes sense. In this vein, the products join the support team because they reduce the daily thinking of what you need to do in order to plan out the daily diet.

In others words, meal and nutritional products that enable you to make your lifestyle easier while supporting you in obtaining your goals are an invaluable part of the support team. Embrace these along with the online support as another way to get the motivation and peer-support especially during any rough patches that may come along on the road to your goal achievements.

Key Take-home Points

1) Do not let yourself become stuck in the quagmire of ³pre-contemplation²

2) If you have an idea, something you wish to obtain or change, write it down and elaborate upon it.

3) TAKE ACTION!

4) Inform your friends, partners and others about your goals ­ get their support.

5) Make sure that you use this website and the ideas within this article for formulating and achieving your own success.

Douglas S. Kalman MS, RD is a Director at Miami Research Associates (www.miamiresearch.com). He is also active with www.sportsnutritionsociety.org and a consultant to NIKE Inc. He can be contacted through either website.