As I sit here and look forward to the year ahead, I wanted to share some thoughts on how you can make the upcoming year everything you could hope for.

See, I believe that you’re the architect of your past, present, and future and that you can get where you want to go personally and professionally by embracing the following ideas.

It starts with change.

If you change your beliefs about what you are capable of having, doing, and being, then you’ll change your path.

If you truly believe that you can have the life that you want, and you decide that you will have it, you’ve overcome the biggest obstacles that stand in your way.

Start with three things:

1. Decide what your Ideal Body looks like (the leanest, strongest, happiest version of you).

2. Get clear about who you want to help.

I want to help you lead by example so you can create generational health.

3. Determine what you want to be known for.

You’re capable of having a more profound impact than you have probably ever imagined, on the lives of others and on your own.

But I honestly believe that you can only reach the potential that you have inside if you focus on being the very best version of yourself, not some watered down version of someone else.

You’ve got to be authentic.

Every great leader, from Mahatma Gandhi to Winston Churchill to Martin Luther King Jr., has been an original.

And so are you.

If you believe in yourself and you commit to being the best version of you, then things get simpler.

And simpler is the next part of the plan.

See, if you know where you want to go, then you can do fewer things.

And you can do them better.

After that, it just comes down to producing the outcomes you want.

Take responsibility for unlocking the greatness inside of you.

This simple formula becoming your blueprint for success is my wish for you.

I really believe that if you understand what you’re capable of accomplishing, enough that you’re willing to go all in on being the best version of you rather than an imitation of someone else, you can get there.

You just have to do fewer things better, each and every day.

Finally, I want you to know that you’re not on this path alone.

I’m here with you to help, coach and guide you if and when you need it.

Sometimes the habits of training four days a week, being mindful about nutrition, getting quality sleep, and keeping a positive outlook, well, it can be a lonely place.

What I mean is that the majority of men and women over 40 years are overweight or obese... doing the opposite habits.

So if you are living like an athlete you are in the minority.

But when I tell you I’m on your team, I mean it.

So let’s look forward to the year ahead.

Use the excitement that comes with fresh goals to gain momentum out of the gate.

Then, embrace this "formula" to keep moving forward until you get where you aspire to go.

Now before I get to the core of the lesson, I have to share something.

My career spans 25+ years as a professional strength-and-conditioning coach.

This is a rare accomplishment and one I’m very proud of.

This does not happen without the great people, both past and present, that helped me along the way.

So I’ll share 10 really cool lessons I’ve learned over my career.

Even better, these lessons double as daily habits.

Go ahead and practice what you learn.

They require specific action steps versus vague ideas or generalities.

They are actionable - not something to know, but something to do.

Lesson 1 of 10: Eat Only Until You Are 80% Full

The Okinawans are known for their health and longevity.

Living in the islands at the southern end of Japan, they have a tradition called "Hara Hachi Bu," which means eat only until you are 80% full.

This is a striking contrast to the Western tradition of cleaning off your plate.

You know, the idea of not wasting food and eating everything that you're served or the full amount in any food container.

Growing up in an Irish-Italian family, I have a special love for food.

As a kid we would spend hours around the dinner table.

Pasta with red sauce was a Sunday-afternoon staple.

My mom lovingly spent the good part of her Sunday cooking everything to perfection.

And I felt bad for our guests who didn’t have the stomach for a second or third helping of mom’s delicious homemade meatballs and sausage… but wouldn’t dare to insult the chef.

You could say our family has a strange tendency to overfeed the people we care about.

Heck, you had to eat out of respect.

Maybe you also have an emotional attachment to food which is keeping you overweight.

A sensible moderate reduction of calories (deficit) for fat loss is typically around 20% below maintenance, so this simple, intuitive principle is a good approximation of that healthy calorie deficit.

It's a way of tracking your calories without tracking calories.

This simply means eating until you are satisfied, but not full.

Calories are a nutrition number that is non-negotiable: Whether you track calories or use an intuitive method.

Either way, you must be in a calorie deficit consistently to burn fat.

So after establishing this habit, if your fat loss has still been stuck for weeks, then you may need to start (or go back to) tracking calories.

However, modeling the Okinawans and using nothing but this simple 80% rule, many people are able to successfully lose fat and manage their weight long term.

Talk to you next time for lesson number two (it may surprise you).

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 age management personal trainer, or you want to visit the best longevity personal trainer in the Lehigh Valley, you can take a free 14-day trial.