Achieving fitness goals starts with one honest question: how thirsty are you, really? Over the past couple of weeks we have been doing our quarterly goal calls at the gym. These are one of my favourite parts of what we do. We sit down with each member and chat about how the last three months have gone — what went well, what progress was made, and where there is room for improvement. Then comes the exciting part: setting goals for the next 90 days.
For some people that goal is as simple as consistently getting to the gym twice per week. For others it might be something far more ambitious, like training for an Ironman or chasing a significant weight loss target. But what I love most about these calls is not the goal-setting itself. It is watching what happens over the following three months. Because that is when people have to decide how badly they really want it.
Achieving Fitness Goals: Two Types of People
There are generally two types of people when it comes to following through on a goal. The first type decides on a goal and then gets to work. They put their money where their mouth is. They make the necessary changes, show up when they do not feel like it, adjust their schedule, and make sacrifices. More often than not, they achieve their goal or get very close to it.
The second type makes excuses. After years in this industry I have heard them all. Not enough time. Work ran late. An event came up. A holiday that was forgotten about when the goal was set. You name it, I have heard it. The funny thing is that the people who do not use excuses often have less free time than the people who do. They have demanding jobs, families, and real responsibilities. Yet somehow, they still find a way. Because the difference was never time. It was commitment.
How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything
The people who consistently succeed at achieving fitness goals tend to be the same people who excel in other areas of life too — at work, in their hobbies, in their relationships. There is a saying I love: how you do anything is how you do everything. The person who follows through does not magically become disciplined when it comes to fitness. They have built the habit of following through in all areas of life. They have mastered discipline, developed a strong work ethic, and learned how to battle the voice in their head that tells them to take the easy option.
According to research on habit formation, the most effective approach to lasting change is not willpower — it is identity. The people who achieve their goals are not trying harder than everyone else. They have simply decided who they are and act accordingly. Every day they are making themselves a little more committed to the process.
Thirst Is Not About Wanting — It Is About Doing
Anyone can say they want to lose weight. Anyone can say they want to get stronger or run a marathon. Saying it is the easy part. Achieving fitness goals requires something different. It requires being willing to do what is actually needed to get there, not just on the good days, but on the days when motivation is low and life gets in the way.
When you are truly committed, excuses disappear. You find a way. You show up. You stay consistent. And eventually the results follow. At our gym in Long Island City we see this play out in every quarterly cycle. The members who make the most progress are rarely the most talented or the ones with the most free time. They are the ones who decided the goal mattered enough to act on it.
One Question Worth Sitting With This Week
Here is something to think about this week: what are you saying you want that you are not backing up with the actions required to achieve it? Change is difficult. Change is uncomfortable. Change requires behaving differently than you have before. And if you keep doing the same things you have always done, you will keep getting the same results you have always gotten.
If you are ready to set a real goal and build a plan around it, we offer personal training and small group fitness in Long Island City designed to help you follow through. Book a free intro session at Trinity Gym NYC and let’s talk about what you are working toward.
Have a great week.
Seamus Keane, NASM CPT
Co-founder, The Trinity NYC
