Project Transformation: Do the “Don’ts” for Making 2008 Your Year of Fitness (Part 1)

5 Critical Don’ts to Observe for Making Your Fitness Plan Work

It’s that time of the year again. You’ve seen the commercials on televisions. You’ve heard the spots on the radio. You’ve seen the well-sculpted, slender bodies. You’ve seen the rippling muscles. You’ve seen the tight butts and sexy legs. You’re tempted to respond, to buy into the hype. Yes, you’ve heard and seen all of the new member specials at your local gym or health club. You think to yourself, “This is the year that I will get into shape.” You tell yourself, “I’m going to walk everyday, diet, and workout six times a week.” Ah yes, the much bally-hooed New Year’s resolutions; these things and more you plan to do for 2008.

While it’s great to talk about all you will do, consider what you won’t do. That is, in the midst of your do’s, consider the “don’ts” as well. Your don’ts are just as crucial as your do’s to helping you improve your plan for health. With that in mind, consider the following five (5) don’ts for setting a solid foundation for your 2008 physical fitness.

1. Don’t Use the Phrase, “Get in Shape.”

I used to say this myself, and on occasion, I still say it. So what’s wrong with the phrase, “get in shape”? The problem is the ambiguity. Into what kind of shape are you trying to get?

The truth is we are all “in shape.” Some of us are pear-shaped; others of us are apple-shaped. Some of us have wide hips and others of us have big guts. We’re all in shape. Yet, what we’d like to do is get into a better shape, a shape with less fat and its attendant health problems. We’d like to get into a better shape that allows us to fit our clothes more comfortably. We’d like to get into a better shape that helps us not get winded after we’ve walked a few stairs.

Don’t use the phrase, “get in shape.” Instead, be specific about the sorts of changes you want to accomplish. In other words, set goals. Goals point out a definition direction and give you standard against which to measure progress.
For example, among other goals, I have four simple goals:

• to measure between 32 to 34 inches in the waist
• to run 3 miles in 20 minutes
• to bench press at least 200 pounds
• to weigh between 195 and 210 pounds

All of these goals are specific. Each one can be easily measured. These goals define what “in shape” means for me.

2. Don’t Use the Word “Diet.”

Although I am a fan of fitness books such as The TNT Diet and The Abs Diet (I have benefited from both greatly), I think the usage of the word “diet” in the titles is misleading (more on that in a moment). My point here is I think many people mislead themselves when they talk about going on “diets.”

The word “diet” has become associated with many nutritional fads that promise quick results in a short amount of time if you eat certain foods. There are the Atkins, South Beach, Hollywood, and Cabbage Soup diets, just to name a few. While I won’t be quick to dismiss the merit (there is some, but not much) in these diets, I wouldn’t advise you to jump on-board with any of them wholesale (though I do admit to incorporating some of the South Beach food into my eating).

Abandon the word “diet.” Again, given the faddish connotations of the word, remove it from your vocabulary altogether. Instead, use the phrase “eating plan.” Why? Think of the meaning behind the phrase: you are planning your eating. That means you are in control of what goes in and what doesn’t. Moreover, eating plans [should] reflect a long-term, dare I say lifelong, approach to nutrition.

Though I’m not necessarily plugging these products, The Abs Diet and The TNT Diet are not about short-term eating changes; they both reflect a long-term plan for improving your nutritional intake. When it comes to eating, you must think long-term. You must have a plan for not only losing weight, but for maintaining your desired weight as well. Therefore, plan your eating by having an eating plan.

3. Don’t Think You Can Just Fit Fitness In.

Following along the idea of having an eating plan, you need to plan your fitness routines. Here, I’m not talking so much about what you will do, as much as I’m talking about when you will do what you will do.

You need to plan your time. Schedule it into your calendar well in advance so that there will not be any excuses. This may be difficult for those of you who are married and/or with children. Even so, do your best to wrap your fitness schedule around your family commitments. This may mean exercising very early in the morning, or perhaps later in the evening. It might mean exercising at lunchtime. Whatever times work best, establish them. Moreover, communicate these times to your family and get them to commit to helping you keep your commitment.

Plan your fitness time in advance and stick to it.


Do the “Don’ts” for Making 2008 Your Year of Fitness (Part 1) by
Dennis J. Colwell is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.