Ever have an "aha" moment?

This refers to the somewhat common human experience of suddenly understanding a previously incomprehensible problem or concept.

This glistening, pristine moment of insight is also called the eureka effect.

You see, setting a priority-one goal to achieve "athletic" levels of bodyfat is possibly the best goal you can have.

Athletic bodyfat is under 20% for women and under 14% for men.

Not to be melodramatic, but actually achieving athletic levels of bodyfat will transform your life.

And that's the aha moment.

Research from the CDC shows that having unhealthy levels of fat is possibly the biggest predictor of disease.

If you are overweight, obese, or worse, you are likely not living the life you desire and deserve.

But here's the thing.

Goals can take a long time to realize, especially if they are worthwhile.

So today, I want to encourage you to fall in love with the process.

Embrace the lessons that you are learning along the way.

Hang around with people who encourage you (hint, hint).

Laugh a lot, even on the darkest of days.

Celebrate your little wins. Keep reminding yourself of your "why."

And when you find that you can't go any longer, find a way to smile and keep going.

I suspect that who you become, while in the pursuit of your goal, is just as important as the achievement itself.

The process, albeit difficult, transforms you into a grittier, more amazing version of yourself.

If achieving athletic bodyfat has ever been a struggle, my humble suggestion is that you might even be ambivalent.

Surely you’ve felt unsure before.

It’s that feeling of internal conflict that you sense when you have mixed emotions about a decision. Or indecision.

It’s that gut-wrenching feeling when you don’t follow your gut instinct, even though you know you should.

Yes, there are many reasons why you might experience ambivalence.

Perhaps it's the simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings toward an object, person, or action.

Good news is that when you address this type of conflict, it can pay huge dividends toward achieving your most important goals and priorities.

How to Achieve Athletic Bodyfat

Now you're probably expecting a detailed system which teaches mindful nutrition, smart training, managing stress, and how to get a good night's sleep.

And you are correct because, to reach athletic bodyfat, you will need a proven blueprint like the one we teach at our award-winning fitness-and-nutrition coaching program.

However you will first need to refocus your efforts.

To better understand this, you simply need to ask yourself the following question:

Will what I’m about to do bring me closer to or take me further away from my goals?

This crucial question helps you do two key things.

First, you’ll need to honestly and clearly establish your most important goal and priorities.

In other words, you need to know what’s truly important to you.

Secondly, it will help you objectively assess whether your current actions, attitudes, and behaviors align with that.

In the end, every decision (or indecision, which is actually a decision in and of itself) has an opportunity cost.

If you do one thing, you’re not doing something else, and vice versa.

You can literally apply this question to every aspect of your life: your health, your finances, your relationships, your work, your family, you name it.

Consider these real-world examples:

• Does eating your favorite junk food every day help you to look and feel better? Probably not.
• Does taking a walk after dinner (instead of plopping down on the couch) help you lose those 10 pesky pounds? Probably so.
• Does checking your email every five minutes help you get started on that project that you’ve been holding off? Probably not.
• Does thumbing through FaceTube, instead of having meaningful conversations with your family, enhance your relationship with your loved ones? Nope.
• Does going to bed 30 minutes earlier allow you to get up 15 - 30 minutes earlier (before chaos sets in) so you can work on your top priority? Yep.
• Does lifting others up with genuine compliments, instead of gossiping behind their backs, help you become a more positive person? Absolutely.
• Does practicing gratitude, instead of focusing on what you don’t have, help put you in a better mood and give you more energy? Yes, without a doubt.

I think you get the picture.

Next time you’re feeling that sense of internal conflict, take this one-question survey:

Is this behavior, activity, or attitude bringing you closer to or further from the person you want to be?

Are you becoming the best version of yourself?

Good news is that this quiz will help you sort things out.

Grab paper-and-pen and answer these six questions:

1. Are you chasing "weight loss" or are you focused on achieving healthy-and-athletic levels of bodyfat?
2. Are you consumed by the idea of quick-fix diets and workout shortcuts and, as a result, forgetting about the long game?
3. Are you relentlessly busy, yet rarely productive?
4. Are you more concerned with being right (aka stubborn) or are you focused on being successful?
5. Are you always chasing the next shiny object, but ignoring the most fundamental things (i.e. a good night's sleep)?
6. Are you hung up on approval from others instead of personal happiness?

You can do almost anything you want and accomplish more than you think is possible; however, if you're chasing the wrong things, you'll never be happy with the results of your efforts.

Decide first what your ideal body and ideal life looks like.

Once you know what you want, give it the same effort you've given those "other" things you've focused on.

It won't require any more from you, but you'll be much happier with the results.

To your success,

Coach Joe

Joseph Arangio helps 40+ men and women get leaner, stronger, and happier. He's delivered over 100,000 transformation programs to satisfied clients around the globe. If you want to lose weight from home, with the best online longevity personal trainer, or you want to visit the best age-management personal trainer in the Lehigh Valley, you can take a free 14-day trial.