The Tribune

Health coach Ethan Quant, of Elite Wellness Solutions, has succeeded in his weight loss journey and now wants to share his methods with the Bahamas in an effort to foster a culture of wellness and conquer the obesity epidemic.

Once you have made the decision to start your fitness journey, you should understand that the reason we call it a journey is because it does not happen overnight. You are about to change your lifestyle and this will take commitment to challenging yourself physically, mentally and emotionally.

However, before you can start training your body, you need to begin with training your mind. The most important part of any lifestyle change is determining why you want to change. When looking at your reason 'why', there are several things to consider:

1. There is no bad reason to want to get healthy and fit.

2. Does it make you feel good and excited?

3. Is it a strong enough reason to keep you going when "life happens"?

When you decide to improve your health and fitness, you need to have a plan. I am not talking about just a vague commitment to start walking or eat more salads, I mean a detailed, well-written, day-to-day plan.

This process starts with having a clearly defined goal. But first, we must make a distinction. What's the difference between a goal and a dream? A goal, unlike a dream, is tangible and can be measured. It's imperative that before beginning your fitness journey to write your goals down in detail and set a timeline to hold yourself accountable.

Using the 'SMART Goal' Model is a good place to start. SMART is defined as Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Bound.

• Specific - Your goals should be clear, unambiguous and able to state specifically what should be accomplished.

• Measurable - Your goals should be measurable so that you can track your progress. Examples are going walking two times a week or losing five pounds.

• Attainable - Your goals should be realistically attainable by you. The achievement of attaining the goal reinforces your commitment to the process and encourages you to keep going.

• Relevant - Goals must be relevant to your values, interests, needs and abilities.

• Time bound - Goals must contain an estimated time for completion. These goals should be evaluated regularly to monitor progress towards your goals.

Once you have determined your goals and insured that they are 'SMART', you should then put them into an action plan. Your plan should outline how and what you are going to do in order to accomplish your health wellness and fitness goals.

True change comes through consistent action. This is by far the most important element to having sustained success. Think about the principle of savings. It doesn't matter how much you save, rather that you save consistently. You have to develop the habit of savings regardless of whether it is $20 or $200. Once you are consistent, the new behaviour will become permanent. The development of new healthy behaviours is achieved in the very same way.

In addition to being consistent, you have to be held accountable, whether it's from your health coach, a trainer or a friend or family member. There are also tons of free apps that you can download to your smart phone to create reminders to keep you on track. The ultimate goal is to become accountable to yourself.

The health and fitness lifestyle isn't easy, but most of the things that matter most in life aren't always easily attained. Think about it. Success in the workplace, a successful relationship or being a good parent all require hard work and dedication. To be successful in all of these different areas of our lives, takes sacrifice, commitment, determination and patience.

Set your goals, make your plan and let's get healthy, fit and sexy!