Giving Yourself A Reality Check

To lose fat and achieve ripped abs successfully, you must be clear about your goals. There is no point embarking on this journey (towards your ripped abs) if you don't believe that you can achieve your goals. There will be some days when you are not going to achieve exactly what you set out to do. But, remember that this is perfectly normal. This is much better than thinking, I am so useless and abandoning all the good work you have already done.

Make sure you are doing the program for yourself entirely. It's not because a friend or partner made some cutting remark about the size of your belly. This way you will be less inclined to slip back into the negative eating and non-exercise habits which you had before.

It's a good idea to write your mission statement before starting your training. In your mission statement, set out in black and white why you have decided to exercise, what you are going to achieve, how it will change the way you look and what you are going to do once you have achieved this. The key here is to *be damn specific*.

One example could be: I know I can't change my whole body, but if I can fit into my tight fitting jeans then I am going to feel so much better about myself. When I do fit into them again, I am going to reward myself with a shopping spree!

Even if you think this seems to be a rather pointless goal to achieve, do give it a try. This really is one of the most important things to do at the beginning of every program. It might take a while to get it right but don't worry about feeling silly; no one else needs to read or see it, so be honest about everything!

Writing these goals/plans out and stashing it at a place where you can read it (whenever you feel your motivation is failing) gives you an extra push in the training program. Staying motivated is the key to achieving goals. That's the difference between people who have successfully obtained ripped abs and those who failed.