By Louiza Patsis
New York Personal Trainer

Why do some people lose weight and keep it off while others add and lose the same ten pounds? The difference may be attachment versus commitment. When you are attached to a goal, there is a tension. You may not want to lose weight for the right reasons, such as being healthy and having the energy to do what you want to do. You may be on a diet to look good, fit in new jeans and impress friends. When you are committed, you have set a goal and are dedicated to it. When you fall off the bandwagon, you accept and forgive yourself and get back on it with no or little drama. Once you are committed to health and their workout routine, you ARE the workout routine. If you are in pain or tired (unless it is to an extreme) you will still work out. You will not make excuses of no time, energy or money. Also, when you are committed to working out, you accept yourself and your body first. You are comfortable with yourself and come from a place of being fabulous already.

As a personal trainer, I support people to have healthy goals without being at a too skinny or a fat extreme, and without excessive dieting and exercise. It is up to you to choose your fitness level and how you want to look. This choice should be your own, not family’s, friends’ or society’s. This will also add to a commitment versus attachment to their workout routine.  I then support that.

Once you create your goals (and they can change), choose measures such heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol, waist-to-hip ration, BMI index, tape measure and caliper measures, weight, strength, flexibility, energy and more. Any of these measures alone do not mean anything. These measurements in total, and with your intuitive connection with yourself, will signal progress or not. Again, if you miss any of these goals, forgive yourself and get back on the bandwagon.