Have you ever started a diet/fitness regimen with a friend of family member but after a few weeks given up while they forged on ahead? Months later you look at their success and think to yourself.. "that could be me" or "I shouldn't have given up" or maybe even "why can't I be like her/him".

What keeps one person pressing on and another giving up? How does one push through and go the distance? What is the SECRET to their success?

While every individual story is different I think there are common elements to success including:

1) Remember WHY you are making the sacrifices and changes. Do you have a clear concept of the destination? Do you use visual reminders? Maybe you need to post a picture of a desired outcome on your treadmill, bike, or inside your gym bag. Perhaps you could make it the background on your computer. KEEP the destination in view so you have a REASON to press on!

2) Keep repeating what has worked for you in the past. This is the beauty of tracking fitness and nutrition because you can look back and see EXACTLY what you were eating and doing in the gym when you were HAVING success.

3) Don't let a setback be a journey-ending event. It's just a detour. Get back on the road and journey on.

4) Do what your friend/family member is doing to achieve success. If they are skipping dessert and high calorie beverages at family events you should too. If they get up early to walk/jog before the family picnic - you should too. If they are having success try what they are doing if for only a week. It might help you see where you are slacking.

5) REWARD yourself for endurance. Make a star on the calendar for each day you track your food and get exercise. Then after you get X number of stars give yourself a non-food reward. The beauty in this is that you don't have to have X number of perfect days in a row. Let them accumulate and it will spur you onward. If you are driven by perfection you will likely give up. LET ME REPEAT - If you are DRIVEN by perfection you will likely give up! VERY few people can start a long journey such as this one and not have a bad day, but a few bad days do NOT undo weeks of good days if you just PRESS ON!

6) COMMIT. This is the biggie. You commit to your job (you show up often when you don't want to or when you are sick). You commit to your family (you don't say oh I don't want to be a mom today but you change that diaper or drive your child to school anyway). You even commit to TV shows (being sure to set that DVR so you don't miss an episode). Some even commit to their online games. They wouldn't miss a point earning event if at all possible EVEN logging in from cellphones!

WHY do you not commit to your health in the same way?

So ... here's the challenge. Why don't YOU be that person that 6 months down the road others will say "If I had only pressed on I could be like _____________".

You CAN do it. COMMIT!

Press On!