Now that you have set your goals for the new year... It's time to think about how you are going to make them happen.

Just writing them down isn't enough. You have to take action. This is how I help my clients reach their goals, year after year. We look at the end picture and then break it down into steps.

For instance... If you want to get into your size 8 jeans, and you are in a size 12, then what do you have to do to get there?

Exercise, eat right, take the right supplements and have a great mindset. The problem is just saying that doesn't make it happen either, you actually have to do these things.

Right now, most people are slacking off on all the above as Christmas rolls around and we party and spend time with family and friends. That's OK. Enjoy it! That's what life is about. Just be smart and reasonable with yourself. Every pound you put on, you will have to work off in the new year.

When 2011 comes around, you may say... OK now it's time to get my body into the most amazing shape ever. For many people, all they will ever do is think about it. Are you one of those people? Or are you someone who is going to get up and take action?

If you are an action taker, then clearly write into your schedule when you are going to work out. Treat it as if it's a meeting with an important client, boss, etc. You wouldn't miss those meetings, so don't miss the ones with yourself.

Another tip... pull out paper and pen and write down what you are going to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then go to the shops and buy only that. Plan your eating and stick to it.

Whether it's fat loss or any other goal, look at what you have to do and break it down into small, manageable chunks. This way you don't get overwhelmed with the whole picture, you only have to think about the step that you have to take that's right in front of you

This process can be easy or it can be tricky. I know for myself that even though I can do this easily for other people and their goals, I can struggle with my own. That's when my coaches come in handy. They help me break down my goals and take the necessary steps to achieve them, while holding me accountable.

If you are struggling with this process, please feel free to contact us for coaching. If your goals are not clear than you will not have a clear path to achieve them.

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So, have you taken time to reflect on the past year, yet? Now it's time to write some goals for 2011.

If you looked back at 2010 and realized you didn't do anything to achieve any of your goals or you have struggled but wasn't able to reach it, then maybe you should set them a little smaller for 2011 so that you can achieve some of them if not all.

If you achieved all your goals, then you might want to think even bigger this year and stretch yourself to create even more for yourself.

One way of doing this is to write a commitment goal and a stretch goal. Write a goal that you are absolutely committed to achieving and will do whatever it takes to get there. Be realistic with yourself. You want to hit this goal. Then, take the same goal and create a bit of a stretch.

For instance... I am absolutely committed to fitting into my size 10 jeans by 10 March, 2011. My stretch goal: I will be in my size 8 jeans by 10 March 2011. Make sense? You can do that with all your goals.

Write your goals down and put them somewhere that you will see them. Make sure you re-visit your goals so that you have a clear path of where you are heading. Sometime we forget about the goal altogether and that makes it pretty hard to achieve it.

Have fun with this! Think big and play lots. This is your life, make it what you want to.

If you have struggled in the past to reach your goals or if you always reach your goals, then you absolutely must read this post so you can get even more clear on how to write achievable goals.

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Use this spice to lose belly fat

This spice has been used for hundreds of years for its medicinal qualities. You probably already use it, but don't even know it's helping you.

It can actually help you burn belly fat. It also has been used to

• reduce blood sugar levels • help relieve nausea, vomiting, and flatulence • can be used for its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties • improve circulation

So what is this miracle herb?

Cinnamon!

Honestly, for years this has been one of my favorite herbs to cook with and it's great knowing the fantastic benefits of cinnamon.

One of the first human studies was published in 2003 in a medical journal called Diabetes Care. Sixty people with type 2 diabetes took 1, 3, or 6 grams of cinnamon in pill form daily, an amount roughly equivalent to one quarter of a teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

After 40 days, all 3 amounts of cinnamon reduced fasting blood glucose levels by 18-29%.

What does this mean to you?

By controlling your blood sugar levels, you are allowing your body to produce less insulin. One of the biggest factors in packing on the fat is high insulin levels. So... Reduce your insulin levels and you can reduce your fat!

How do you use cinnamon to reduce your fat? Eat it!

Buy cinnamon powder (without sugar) and use it as often as possible in your cooking. You can put it on your oats, smoothies, yogurt, etc. I LOVE cinnamon when I make a beef mince dish. I also tend to sprinkle it on beef that I roast. The smell of it cooking all day long is mouthwatering.

Yesterday, we started experimenting with a cinnamon drink. It's delicious. Boil 3 tbsp of cinnamon and.... of baking soda in 1liter of water. Drink throughout the day. Sounds funny, but it's yummy. Give it a try, especially if you are craving sweets.

Cinnamon has some very great benefits for you and is so easy to add into your diet. You don't need much to get the benefits of it. The study here showed that even 1/4 of a teaspoon made a difference.

If you are on medications (especially for diabetes) please consult your doctor before any major changes to your diet or supplementation. Blood glucose levels can dip too low, so be safe.

Where are you going to eat your cinnamon today?

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Are you ready for summer?

After following winter around the globe over the past year, here at Targeted Fat Loss, we are VERY excited to be around for a Sydney summer.

Not only are we around, we have just moved our house and training studio into a more permanent abode. We have been nomads for the past year, so this is very exciting.

We are settling in and brushing dust of things that have been in boxes for over a year now. If you are anything like our bits in boxes, maybe you feel like you need to be brushed off and picked up to get ready for summer.

Our first tip for you to get your body in shape is to get up and get moving. In winter months, we tend to hibernate and sit around more. If you want to shed the winter layers, get up and move.

In order to do something long enough to make it work for you, you must like what you are doing for exercise. Let me share a bit of insight into this...

As you can imagine, my husband Hugh loves exercise and weight training. For the past year or so, I have really struggled to enjoy it. The reason for this is because I love lifting heavy weights (not piddley weights for high reps). I had lost so much muscle while I was pregnant, that it took awhile to build up again, During that time, I was lifting lighter weights and more repetitions. To me, I might as well be sitting watching cars go by and yawning. I was bored. Yet, I couldn't lift any heavier. After having a c-section my core just couldn't handle it. I persisted through it and have gotten to the point where I can lift heavy again (yay)!

When I lift heavy weights, my training sessions are very different. I have more sets and less repetitions. I go hard and go home. Each movement takes my focus and concentration and at the end of my workout, I feel pumped and like I have achieved something. This is what I love! I get excited to get into the gym again. Each time I'm there, i'm looking to break my previous records by lifting heavier each time. I amaze myself that I am able to get better every time. There are so many reasons I love training this way, but it's not for everyone, which is my point.

One of my good friends and a client of ours is constantly looking at the record board and wanting to beat my records. For her, training heavy is brutal and not something she particularly loves, but the idea of doing 500 squats seems like a great challenge to her. To me... sounds like one of the worst ideas in the world. (Yes, 500 squats is a record on the board by one of our clients.)

Some people like to and feel better for training for endurance and some for more short term bursts of energy. Some people like walking, some running.

If you are struggling or bored with your weight training or if you are not getting the results you are after through the exercise you are doing, then do something different. My workouts change EVERY TIME I train. This is crucial for getting great results.

Personally, if I was in a gym, running on a treadmill or lifting weights a few times a week and not getting results, I would get bored and stop going. If you are going to go, make it worth your while. Just a few tweaks may make all the difference.

We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you get your beach body this summer.

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Are you one of the people who doesn't want to lose weight because it will mean you have to go on a strict diet?

I can completely relate to that. I hate diets and don't like being restricted. What I love about what we teach is that depending on the level of results you want, you don't have to restrict yourself with everything.

Instead of thinking about restricting your diet, start to think about adding in healthy whole foods. The more good foods you eat, the less of the others you will want.

Make sure you are eating protein at every meal. Toast and jam doesn't have protein and neither do most cereals. At breakfast, eat eggs. Yes... you do have time. Hard boil them when you are making dinner the night before. You can also make a quiche on the weekend that will last you the first half of the week (very easy to make). Your other option for breakfast... leftovers! Who says you need to have cereals or eggs in the morning?

If you want to have porridge for breakfast, make sure you add some protein sources to it. We add some protein powder to ours as well as LSA and coconut flakes for some added fat.

At lunch and dinner, make sure you have some protein and vegetable. Snack on fruit, nuts, cheese, or other protein throughout the day.

Commit to increasing the amount of protein and vegetables you eat in your diet. Then if you have a piece of chocolate or a packet of chips in the day, don't worry about it. If you feel guilty about it; that will take away from the experience and generally speaking make it worse. It's that horrible spiral then, isn't it? I had one bad thing, so I might as well have a bad day.

If you can stop that behavior... you are on your way to eating healthy as a lifestyle choice, loosing the fat and keeping it off.

So for now... concentrate on increasing the healthy foods you eat and not worrying so much about the other stuff. You will start to crave the healthy stuff the more and more you eat it. And the pasta, bread, chips, etc... you will look at and not want to eat it. I know it sounds crazy, but I have helped lots of people do this and have changed myself. You can do it too.

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Losing fat can be easy...

In the past few weeks, I have been speaking to quite a few people who are scared about taking their first steps towards losing the extra fat that has piled on. When you know what you are doing, losing fat can be easy.

If you are stopping yourself from losing fat, then you must identify what it is that is holding you back.

Are you short on cash and scared it will cost a lot? Have you "done it before" and it was hard? Are you scared of doing the exercise because you are unfit? Or are you like most people and you just need more information?

In this wonderful world we live in... there are ways to get information for free everywhere. The problem with that is... If you compile a whole lot of info without having consistency, you will most likely end up getting haphazard results.

I know for myself... when I started learning internet marketing, it was the same. We gathered info from a ton of different reliable sources and tried implementing lots of it and got little in the way of results. When we invested in a coach, we stuck to one plan and did everything he said and we finally started to make money.

In life, when you do something consistently, you get consistent results.

Once you figure out what's holding you back... take the necessary steps to get over it.

Are you not exercising because you are unfit? It won't get any better if you sit on your butt for longer! You have to start somewhere, so just start. Do something. Walk up the stairs at work instead of taking the elevator. Walk, lift weights, swim... Do something you enjoy.

By the way... when you start exercising again... it should hurt. You should push yourself while your exercising. You should feel puffed. Then you should feel sore later. If you don't, you probably aren't training hard enough. I personally love the soreness and know I'm doing something good for myself when I get it. Make sure you get the good soreness, not the hurt yourself soreness.:)

If money is the issue, ask yourself what it will cost you not to take care of your health. If you are overweight, not exercising or eating a healthy diet this can result in serious health problems that can costs thousands of dollars to fix, if you can do anything at all. You could be spending lots on medications or could even be off work and not making any money at all.

Personally, I'd rather invest in myself to stay healthy rather than "fixing" being sick.

If it's education you need, ask the experts. At Targeted Fat Loss, we specialize in helping you lose fat. It's what we do all day every day. We can teach you about nutrition, mindset, exercise and so much more.

If your list of excuses is long and yet you know you are ready to commit to losing fat please be in touch with us to help you take your first steps.

A mentor recently said to me about getting over one of my fears... "The parachute only comes out when you jump". Clarinda Tivoli. Sometimes you just need to take the first step, jump in with utter abandon and know that the parachute will open and you will land... But first you must jump out of the plane.

So who's ready to jump?

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