Guest Blogger
Nolan Ferraro, Owner of Salire Fitness and Wellness
Step 1 – Your personal inventory – Determine, Decide & Define
In order to reach your health and wellness goals in 2017, you must take stock of where you are and decide if this is the place that you want to continue to inhabit. If the answer is yes and you are satisfied with your current reality, there is little that you need to do. If the answer is no and you want to start to make a positive, lasting and life altering change, you must take a personal inventory. The first step of any personal inventory is to determine where you are. After determining where you are, you must then decide specifically where you want to be. Finally, after determining where you are and deciding where you want to be, you must define how you are going to get from where you are to where you want to be.
Step 2 – Be intentional, set S.M.A.R.T. goals
Next, nothing great happens by accident! So, you must now ensure your success journey by setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals (Specific, Measureable, Action-Oriented, Realistic & Timed). This is undoubtedly the most critical step in the entire process. Why is this step so important? Because without taking the time to set S.M.A.R.T. goals in the beginning, you have an incomplete road map and you will find yourself losing direction, motivation and determination. You will not be sure where you are going specifically and when the inevitable bumps and bruises arise, you will be hard pressed to remember why you ever decided to take this journey.
Step 3 – Don’t do it alone – find a partner
This is the step where you will get a chance to build your team of fit friends, ensure some external motivation and become the key to someone else’s success! It is not a necessity that you have an exercise buddy, but statistics show that you are two times more likely (66%) to succeed on your fitness journey if you travel this road with a like-minded friend who can hold you accountable, share in your successes and keep you motivated. This will also give you the chance to do the same for your “Fit Buddy” which will be beneficial for both of you!
Step 4 – Walk before you run, moderation is key
Remember the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, so step slowly, but get to stepping. This is the action phase of your journey and this is where you will succeed and possibly face hurdles. It is in this fourth step that forward movement and momentum are important, but a critical component will also be moderation. It is often people with no goal, too grandiose a goal or a well-defined goal without moderation that have the highest hurdles. I advise moderation along the way.
Step 5 – Give yourself a break, you are worth it
The final step is to remember that you are on this journey to make your life more enjoyable and not just healthier. Remember to treat yourself with compassion. It will not take long for you to see that passion without compassion is a recipe for disaster. You must be fluid and flexible as you travel your wellness path. You don’t want to be too lenient on yourself or make excuses each time you feel challenged. You also don’t want to be so rigid that you begin to dislike the journey. This is where you must decide what is too easy and what is too hard and how you will handle setbacks along the way. Don’t be too hard, but also never give up!
A special thanks to Nolan for contributing to our Living Well blog!
Certified personal trainer and licensed wellness coach Nolan Ferraro has been recognized as the #1 Best Personal Trainer in New Orleans.
Nolan counts Chef Susan Spicer among the thousands of New Orleanians who have gotten in shape with Salire's Private Personal Training and high-impact fitness Boot camp programs like “Power in the Park”, a month-long cross-training boot camp in City Park. He has also added a new high intensity interval training class, Body Blitz, at his studio.
