When you’re dedicating yourself to the gym and looking forward to lean, mean muscle tone, it’s a good start, but there are still some particular issues to watch out for on your way to fitness success.  Some of these have to do with what’s inside you, and others have to do with external factors.  Both of these will have an effect on you every day as you work toward fitness goals.

So what are some of the external obstacles to a good fitness result?  A couple of the big ones have to do with the way food and drink are used in society.  When you consider these ideas actively, you can take some huge steps forward in any fitness program.

The first one has to do with drinking and bars: if you’re not a drinker, you’re a step ahead on this one.  If not, think about this: drinking is up there with smoking as far as obstacles to fitness.  We know that smoking diminishes your respiratory capacity, but what about drinking?  Well, those beers and shots are packed with calories, and it only takes a couple of drinks undo days of conscientious eating.  When you look at calorie counts, it’s clear: you have to stay away from drinking 2000 or more calories a night, and if you’re not paying attention, that’s what you’ll do.  So many people fall into the trap of entering the bar and absently ordering up drinks one after the other.  Instead, be vigilant about holding a glass of water instead of the malted calorie shake that comes out of the tap.

The other issue is restaurants: so you go out to eat.  What’s on the menu?  An entrée, a side and a drink.  Take all three, and you’re going to blow your calorie count while getting filled up with high fructose corn syrup.  That’s because restaurants don’t carry healthy drinks.  The vast majority of them hit you with large sodas, depositories of sugar and calories that you really don’t need.  A quick look at the menu will also tell you if the place is serving up “fried sides”; low-value junk food on the edge of your plate.  Look out for these and avoid them, and you’re ahead of the curve.

Now, if you’ve been observant and dedicated enough to get around these two stumbling blocks, you probably have a good bit of willpower.  Use that same willpower to push through any initial or periodic lethargy or listlessness you might feel.  The choice to go work out comes from many places in your mind, but your behavior needs to be consistent if you’re going to get consistent results.  So, be organized.  Make sure you are approaching each day with the same focus, and eventually, you’ll get better at making decisions from a more stable base.  You’ll be able to actually meet the goals you set, and then go set some more.  With an eye toward what’s within you and what’s around you, your goals, and the way to them, becomes a lot clearer, and you’ll quickly swerve around the stumbling blocks that are in your way.