It’s the beginning of the year. A time of New Year’s Resolutions and promises to be better. A time where everyone and their mothers swear that they’ll cut down on wine, workout six days a week, and finally achieve their dream body.

These goals, in theory, are positive. They’re inspiring. They’re motivating.

But, what most people don’t realize is how challenging committing to achieving your “dream body” actually is.

Positivity, inspiration, and motivation are fleeting feelings. They come in flickers and waves. Because of this, they should not be relied on to make progress throughout your fitness journey. Discipline, patience, and consistency are what truly yield results.

This is where people fall off. They blame missing a workout on having no time.

You have to make time.

They say eating healthy is too hard.

 You have to make sacrifices.

They revert to bad habits before seeing where new habits might take them.

You have to want it enough.

Andreas Papas, a redeemed fitness and nutrition coach for figure competitors, states, “If you aren’t consistent you can’t say it didn’t work. Achieving anything great in life requires some form of sacrifice, discipline, and consistency.” His Instagram, linked here, showcases genuine, scientific, and straight-to-the-truth information about pursuing a fitness lifestyle.

No one said pushing yourself in the gym or choosing chicken over pizza was easy. That’s because it’s not. If it were easy, everyone would do it. If it were easy, everyone would have their dream body.

Lauren Simpson (pictured above), the World Beauty Fitness & Fashion (WBFF) Bikini World Champion, or in laymen’s terms, the best female figure competitor in the world, offers her tips and tricks for pushing on when motivation gets low.

A great tip she touches on is setting realistic goals, as expecting yourself to change ten daily habits right out the gate often results in your motivation burning out quickly.

It takes unshakable grit, a boat load of hard work, and more time than you think to get in better shape. But comfort is the enemy of change. If you really want it, so badly it’s all you think about, then challenging yourself is the only option.

Being comfortable is boring. Push past the limits you think you have, and your New Year’s Resolutions will become last year’s results.