I often ponder this about myself so I thought that I would share this with the fitness community at hand.  With the current workout program that I’m going through, Beachbody’s P90x by Tony Horton and beachbody.com, it is a pretty dedicated routine.  Basically we are talking  6 days a week, 1 hour or more a day for 3 months.  So your spending quite a bit of time away from something ‘else’.  Whatever that may be.   So the big question is, are you utilizing that time as effectively as you should be? Are you committing yourself to the challenge ahead and giving it the proper attention? Let's find out. 

When you get ready to workout, are you in the right mindset?  Have you make the decision to walk to the ‘plate’ and hit a homerun at that given time?  The first step is of course deciding to just press play and get up off the comfortable couch and move.  If you made it that far, continue reading.    If you made a conscious decision to workout today, then you’re further than probably 75% (not sure on #’s, just my personal feeing from what I see) of the rest of the people out there.  That is a HUGE step.  I commend you on that one. 

Stage 2:

So now that you’ve made the correct decision to step out of the old you, lets move on.  Are you now going to dedicate the time necessary to create a lifestyle change for yourself? are you going or better yet, are you willing to make the sacrifice necessary to live longer, increase your energy levels, not feel like everyday is the end of the world.  Have that satisfaction that you can walk up a flight of stairs without keeling over and being out of breath.  Have the knowledge that you will live longer if you make a commitment?   If you can commit, to setting aside a period of time (3 days, 5 days, 6 days, whatever it takes) to move you to the next level?  It doesn’t take much. It just takes you. It will amaze you what the mind and body can do.

Stage 3:

If you have finally moved through to here, this means you are truly willing to do what it takes to transform your mind/body/soul into what it should be.  You are going to be fitter, healthier, and happier when you take the leap of faith and follow through to the end.  You’ve succeeded in doing something good for yourself, and for those that you love.  This success can be measured in many different ways, but as long as you consciously got up, moved your body today, and successfully finished ‘something’ you’ve done it.

It doesn’t take much to make a change.  You start slow, gradually build up and you will begin to reap the rewards of your actions.  People will notice, you will notice and it will feel amazing. 
Here are a few of KP’s Laws to just keep in mind to help make your workouts successful.

• Hydration.  it’s critical to stay hydrated not only through your workout but throughout the day.  (Water only.  Enough said)
• Pace yourself.  Not everyone is made equal. It takes time to work up to the level of the people you may be following along with in a workout. Never get discouraged because you’ve made the decision to press play and do it.  Over time you can match them.  Just be confident and follow through.
• Eating   60% of the battle.  This can make/break your progress as well as your motivation to do well.  If you don’t eat  right, your not going to see the results you would like. Plain and simple.  If you are following a program, such as, P90x or Insanity, you NEED to follow their guidelines to see the results.  It can be done. 
• NO fast food.  Lots of Protein.  Fruits, Vegetables, Lean Meats (Poultry, fish, etc). 
• Watch the snacks. 
• Eat 5-6 small meals a day.  Look for the proper consumption of calories per day and use it as a guide not as the law.  Its easy to gain a pound, only takes an extra 3500 calories per week.  To lose those, that can take you many days of cardio.  So be very conscious of what you are putting into your body. It makes a huge difference.
• Challenge yourself.  Watch your #’s (yes, keep track.  Don’t focus on them,  but use them as a guide to your progress.  Don’t get down if you don’t go above the #’s you did the workout before.  Just do what you can when you can.
• Consistency.  You can’t do the yo-yo thing here people.  It hurts more than helps. 
• Motivated.  Not everyone is motivated by the same thing. You need to find that internal/external motivation factor that keeps you going.  That spark, that dream, that desire, that ‘FILL IN THE BLANK’ that works for you. 
• Thrive on change.  don’t fear it.   Take this opportunity to enlighten you, to get you pumped up for the challenges ahead.  Don’t let the fear of stepping outside the box keep you down.
  
  In the end, the goal, is to have fun.  If you aren’t having fun at what your doing, then it’s not worth doing.  Sure it will be tough at first, but you still need to have fun with it.  Just keep visualizing what will happen after 1 month, 2 months, 6 months down the road of consistency.  Take it one step at a time.  If you plan on dedicating this much time to the transformation of your life, then put forth the required effort.  Don’t go in halfway.