We are well on our way to Christmas and the end of another year… this is the perfect time for reflection. With the ‘onslaught’ that is Christmas about to happen, many will throw any discipline out the window in regards to exercise and healthy eating. I have seen the damage that Christmas overindulgence can do to one’s body and my word of advice is ‘don’t do it to your-self’. Christmas is ONE DAY. This said, many people will overindulge and many people will set a New Year’s Resolution around shaping up with the real goal being actually to lose weight. OK, so many people do need to lose weight. Whether it is 5kg or 55kg that you need to lose, then you must make a plan. Without a plan, your journey can easily go AWOL.

I liken losing weight to going on a road trip. If you know your destination that is great, but how are you going to get there? Are you driving, flying, walking or taking a bus? What is the most sensible and quickest route? Or are you going to take the scenic route and take a little longer to get there? Do you know how much fuel your vehicle uses and are the tyres pumped and oil topped up? You don’t want any break downs now…do you? What about road stops and speed humps and of course the highway patrol? You know you need to take breaks, heed caution and not take any silly risks that may cost you de-merit points. Isn’t all of this like losing weight and getting into shape?

If you want to ‘shape up’ you must make a Plan. You must have a starting point, a journey and a destination. You have the vehicle already – your body. You need to map out where you are going and take the safest, surest and most sensible route to get to your destination. If you are not sure what this is, then go to the information centre – our humble fitness club and trainers can help with this one! Stock up on the best fuel for your engine and if needed, get a grease and oil change (which most will need to) and check that the vehicle is road worthy – go to your GP and get it checked out. You are now ready for your journey.

Where are you going? What is your destination? Are you going somewhere exotic and fabulous? Or are you going to settle for the boring little place that has not much to offer? This choice is entirely yours and you can afford to go anywhere you want because your body can take you there if you just decide that is where you are going. Remember this is your journey, your road trip and you make the plans, because if you don’t make a plan you won’t go anywhere and if you don’t go anywhere you will stay the same. All it takes is five to ten minutes of writing down what you really want; writing a plan. If you fail to plan, then you are truly planning to fail.