Persistence is one of the biggest keys to success when it comes to any endeavor, but specifically when we are working towards achieving and then maintaining a healthy, fit and trim body. Persistence means that no matter what, you keep moving forward even when you feel like quitting. Many people give up on their dreams at the first sign of opposition or misfortune. Nothing in life worth achieving ever comes easily. The importance of persistence in life is defined as continuing to move on with whatever goal has been planned originally even though an external event or initial losses may have slowed down, or temporarily halt a person while the person is on the way towards achieving their goals.  It requires a person to continue keeping their mental attitude positive no matter what may happen. One of the biggest reasons people regain body fat after successful weight loss, is they become complacent and persistency begins to take a back seat to their original health goals. This is why at David’s Way to Health and Fitness we promote our methodology as a lifestyle over a diet. Diets always have an endpoint, whereas committing to a healthy lifestyle requires persistence for the rest of your life. This is the difference between people who are at a healthy weight and those who are not. This is not meant to be an insult to anyone, it is just a simple fact of life, continued success at any endeavor requires persistency.

Calvin Coolidge

“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

 Persistence is the fundamental difference between a successful outcome and a failed outcome!

Decide what you want to accomplish and set goals.

Setting goals is a must for any and all endeavors, most specifically weight loss and physical fitness.  People who set clear, concise goals  are almost always successful in achieving them as long as they continue to be persistent in their endeavors. No matter how many curveballs life might throw your way, you must refuse to quit and continue to work at bouncing back from difficulties you encounter along the way.

 Prepare for Obstacles and Setbacks.

Know and accept that there will be obstacles and setbacks that you will encounter while working towards a fit and healthy body. Prepare for them, and as we used to say in the military, “lean forward and drive on”.

Nothing important was ever accomplished without adversity, setbacks and difficulties to contend with along the way. Henry Ford went bankrupt three times before he managed to design his first automobile. Thomas Edison is said to have tried 10,000 times to create the light bulb before he succeeded. His attitude was: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.” Persistence is definitely the difference between a successful outcome and a failed one due to giving up.

You have to be proactive about your health goals.

With a little foresight, you can always prepare yourself for setbacks and obstacles. You know life sometimes will throw obstacles into your path, when these potential problems arise,  you have to have contingency plans already in mind. For example, if you’re trying to lose weight, you must know that there will be occasions when it may seem to be impossible to stick to your weight loss regimen. In such cases, you will need to prepare alternative meals ahead of time or be mentally prepared to deviate from your regimen. Unfortunately, instead of allowing for and being prepared in such situations,  many people give up too easily and often declare it impossible to stick to any diet. In doing so, they often sabotage all healthy eating and give up in despair. Sticking to a diet is tough, that is why we promote a lifestyle of healthy eating. Once you change your mindset from dieting to lifestyle, it becomes far easier to be proactive in social or emergency situations. Healthy foods can be found just about anywhere, if you take the time to look over, under and around all the junk foods that surround us. If we plan in advance for life’s inevitable ups and downs, we will be psychologically ready when they come upon us.

Take the first step.

You cannot persevere, and will not succeed at anything if you never try to accomplish something. Too many people will procrastinate at trying to improve their lot in life. They quite often fear failure, or are too frozen in their tracks to take the first step towards achievement. To be successful, you have to learn to get out of your comfort zone. You have to be open to trying new things. You will not fail if you don’t try something, however, you will never succeed either. As the popular saying goes, “The only real failure in life is the failure to try.” We have dealt with people who have struggled with losing weight simply because their fear of failure overrode their desire to be healthy.

Review, reevaluate and revise.

If things do not work out the way you hoped then review the steps you took and the process you followed. Reevaluate by examining what went wrong and where. Everyone who has a significant amount of weight to lose will eventually plateau. There are no exceptions to this except for those who are persistent at reviewing, reevaluating, and revising their course of action. If you are a 5′ 4″  sedentary woman who begins her weight loss journey at 250 pounds and stalls out at 220 pounds, this is natural simply because your daily caloric needs have changed. At 250 pounds your body needed about 1650 calories per day in order to lose 1 pound of body fat per week. Once you have achieved 220 pounds, your body now requires only about 1500 calories per day to continue the one pound per week loss of body fat, provided you are still sedentary throughout your day. Your metabolic needs change, therefore you have to adjust accordingly.

Garner support and encouragement.

Stay away from naysayers, they can be like crabs in a bucket who will always try to pull you back down to their level. Instead, surround yourself with supportive and like minded individuals who will encourage you along your path to a healthier body. Be teachable and seek advice from those experienced in your field of endeavor and those who want you to succeed. They can assist you by making suggestions and recommendations based on their experience and expertise. You will still have to do the hard work, but there is nothing more encouraging than having positive reinforcement.

Maintain focus.

One of the obstacles to attaining success at anything is the loss of motivation and focus. Do not let anyone, or anything keep you from visualizing the accomplishment of your goal no matter what it takes. You have to always keep your eye on the prize. Likewise, avoid getting caught up in negative or unproductive thinking such as, “This will never work.” “I can’t do this.” We can become our own worst enemy by allowing negative thinking to cloud our focus. Never lose your focus as to why you decided to make positive changes to your life in the first place, you have no place to go but from whence you came. You may feel comfort at returning to an unhealthy lifestyle, but if you were truly comfortable to begin with, you would have not decided to change your life for the better.

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