By Sean Barcellona

Self-discipline: the ability to control one’s feelings and overcome one’s weaknesses; the ability to pursue what one thinks is right despite temptations to abandon it—much easier said than done, right? The ability to be disciplined is so important in life, but it is also a difficult thing to maintain day in and day out.

The good news is that we are all capable of becoming self-disciplined; it just takes a positive attitude, toughness and persistence. Here are five ways to become more self-disciplined.

1. Clearly Define Your Goals

What do you want to accomplish? What steps are you going to take to reach that goal? What do you need to do differently in order to succeed? Before you begin to work toward a goal, you need to ask yourself these types of questions.

Developing a clear path to your goals is vital to success. It will keep you focused and allow you to monitor your progress. If you fail to define success and the steps you need to take to get there, it becomes much easier to get sidetracked and lose sight of what you are working toward. Define what will make you successful and remind yourself of it every day!

2. Start Small

We live in a society of instant gratification: We want things now, and we don’t want to be kept waiting. Unfortunately, self-discipline is not something you can develop overnight. It’s a long-term process that takes daily practice and repetition.

Think of self-discipline as a mountain. When we stand at the bottom and look up, it can be pretty intimidating. Feelings of anxiety, fear and doubt can sink in and overwhelm us if we put too much focus on getting to the top.

Instead, take it step by step. When we start small, we don’t feel pressured to fix everything all at once. This week, challenge yourself to pick one thing that you struggle to stay disciplined with and work on getting better in that aspect of your life.

3. Find Your Reason Why

In order to be successful, you have to find your why! Your why is your purpose, what drives you, what inspires you, what keeps you going when you feel like giving up and what picks you back up when you get knocked down.

Ask yourself right now, why do you do what you do? Whether it’s family, health, business, inspiring others or simply proving to yourself that you are capable, when you give your dreams a deeper meaning, it will push you harder than ever.

“Ask yourself right now, why do you do what you do?”

4. Learn How to Control Your Mind

How well do you know yourself? Do you know your strengths? Weaknesses? Do you know what situations you thrive in or what makes you anxious? If not, reflect and get to know yourself. Before you can take command of your mind, you have to understand it!

If you want to become more self-disciplined, it’s not always about overcoming temptations—you have to be self-aware and put yourself in the best position to succeed. That means removing yourself from tempting situations whenever possible. If you want to stop eating out, start meal prepping before each week begins. If you want to stop checking your phone so often, turn off notifications and find a healthy activity to focus on instead. The fewer distractions we have, the more we can focus on our goals!

5. Accept Failures and Shortcomings

Failure is scary. Most people try to avoid it throughout life. But that can prevent us from trying new things, make us think we’re not good enough and make us reluctant to try again. The fact is that no one can avoid failure; it’s just a part of life. No matter how talented or famous a person is, we all experience it.

The difference between the ones who achieve their goals and the ones who don’t is persistence. The only thing that will stop you is yourself—you need to pursue your goals relentlessly. Don’t let yourself be consumed by negative thoughts when things don’t go your way. Instead of getting discouraged when you fail, accept that it happened, take what lessons you can from the experience and keep moving forward!

Sean Barcellona is a trainer at Burn Boot Camp Cornelius (North Carolina) as well. He began his journey with Burn in 2017 and helps create unique workouts for all Burn Boot Camp locations across the nation. He is passionate about hiking, exercise, and spending time with his wife, Lindy, who works at Burn Boot Camp HQ.

Chelsea Theodoropoulos

Happy New Year! Chances are you’re hard at work chipping away at those annual declarations of self-improvement. Keep it up!

If you’re anything like the old me, the new year has you amped up to make some serious changes in your life and body, but you’re no stranger to summer indulgences and often struggle to keep your motivation on pace and nutrition intact throughout the year to reach your fitness goals. Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

Year after year, I’ve made dozens of resolutions trying to create discipline and structure around my nutrition and eating habits. Every year I’ve held on strong for a few months and seemed to have fallen off by the time the weather turned the corner. But not anymore, and you don’t have to let your hard work dissipate with the sunshine either!

As we raise the bar together across Burn Nation, we must first understand that physical fitness requires proper nutrition to fuel our bodies and help build strength. Creating a lifestyle with whole foods and healthy habits can be overwhelming though. You may ask yourself questions like, where do I start? How do I stay motivated? What if I fail? What if I’m addicted to sugar?

Let 2018 be the year you finally forego those predictable resolutions and commit to a lifestyle change, once and for all. As you’re raising your bar inside the gym and taking your PR’s to a new level, consider taking your nutrition to the next level as well. Small changes create BIG impact!

Below are my top 10 tips and tricks for staying on track with nutrition year-round.

1. Always meal prep.

Meal prepping is the secret to success. It requires just a couple of hours every week, yet still saves you time. Having food pre-cooked (and already portioned if you’re on the go a lot) will keep you from making impulsive decisions that hinder your goals.

I use different seasonings, dressings, and/or marinades from week to week to change flavors, and I also change my vegetables from week to week to keep my meals interesting. Simply adding hot sauce can make a meal feel completely different!

I don’t overcomplicate meal prepping. Instead, I find creative ways to combine my favorite foods to create endless options. I cook 8-10 chicken breasts every Sunday, a few pounds of ground turkey, and 3-4 different kinds of vegetables that I like. I may toss chicken and vegetables in marinara sauce one day, toss in coconut aminos and cauliflower rice another day, or make a naked burrito bowl out of my ingredients the next day. I may change seasonings from lemon pepper to Italian to garlic to onion.

Meal prepping gives you the ability to always be prepared and grab something healthy even when you’re on the go.

Not only can you switch up flavors to add variety, but you can also change your method of cooking to prevent meal prep burnout. For example, you can bake, sous vide, shred, or grill the same chicken breast to make it feel different each time!

If I’m looking for a recipe, I always rely on the Burn Community for new ideas. Meal prepping gives you the ability to always be prepared and grab something healthy even when you’re on the go. Remember, failing to plan is planning to fail.

2. Don’t eat what you dislike.

Regardless of how healthy a certain food may be, I only eat what I like. For example, I don’t like eggs and I don’t like fish—both of which I’ve tried to force feed myself. I failed.

If you try to eat foods you simply don’t like, a healthy habit will never be created. Just because you’re eating healthy doesn’t mean you can’t look forward to meals anymore. Know what you like and rely on those foods to make up your healthy habits!

If you have favorite meals (mine is spaghetti and meatballs), find healthy swaps so you can still enjoy your favorite foods. For example, try swapping ground beef for ground turkey, or swapping spaghetti for zoodles or spaghetti squash. Being disciplined doesn’t mean you must feel deprived.

3. Travel with food, or eat before you go. 

When you meal prep, you no longer have an excuse. Whether you’re going to work, going out of town for a long weekend, or just traveling down the road to a child’s birthday party, you can plan for all of this.

You may want to consider bringing a cooler of food or eating before you go if you know you’ll only be gone for an hour or two. Don’t put yourself in a situation in which you know you’ll be hungry—and therefore more likely to indulge!

I’ve taken food with me to the strangest places and have always been grateful to be prepared. If you’re going to a party where you know pizza and cake will be served, eat before you go. Don’t allow yourself to be influenced by these temptations every time. Once you feel the physical difference of nourishing your body with whole foods, you’ll look forward to these meals on the go!

4. Enjoy cheat meals. 

Eating healthy doesn’t mean you can never sink your teeth into a slice of double chocolate cake or greasy New York-style pepperoni pie. Allow yourself one cheat meal per week, plan for it, and enjoy it. Don’t settle for an alternative, and don’t waste your cheat meal on something that’s not going to satisfy your craving.

When you gain control over your temptations and plan for cheat meals, you’ll no longer experience that black cloud of guilt we often face.

When we settle for cheat meals that are only “okay,” we’re still left with that desire to cheat which often leads to a multi-day binge of a few bites here and few bites there trying to satisfy that craving! For example, if you want pizza, get the best pizza possible—don’t settle for a frozen alternative or your child’s half-eaten pizza rolls. If you want cake, don’t settle for a few bites if you’re not fully satisfied–eat the whole slice.

When you gain control over your temptations and plan for cheat meals, you’ll no longer experience that black cloud of guilt we often face.

5. Drink lots of water.

Staying hydrated is a true test of hunger. When we’re dehydrated, we tend to snack more. When we’re both thirsty and hungry, similar messages are sent to our brain and how we respond to those signals are often mistaken.

If you’re a heavy snacker, ask yourself if you’re drinking enough water. I strive to drink one gallon of water a day (about 8 water bottles). When I fall short, I tend to lose focus, develop a headache, and dip my hand into my child’s snack trap. Be proactive about drinking water, because when you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated! Prevent thirst and unnecessary eating by drinking your gallon a day.

6. Drink less alcohol.

There is a reason that Olympians and bodybuilders don’t drink alcohol. Alcohol prohibits fat loss, makes us feel lethargic, and impairs our judgement.

Have you ever seen someone drink too much alcohol and then eat a grilled chicken breast with broccoli? Probably not. When we drink alcohol, we’re more likely to make decisions about food we normally wouldn’t make. If I’m going to be in a social situation where I may want to both drink alcohol AND eat unhealthy foods, I’ll normally pick one or the other. Prepare for these situations and commit to your decision!

7. Log your food (occasionally).

When I first started my fit journey, I logged every bite of food that I ate. This was the only way I could wrap my head around what I was putting into my body when it came to my macronutrients. I quickly learned the macronutrients for the foods I was eating daily, which has allowed me to make changes to meet the 45% protein, 35% carbohydrates and 20% fat target we recommend at Burn Boot Camp.

I became familiar with my own macros and found myself eating many of the same foods every day to stay on track which later made logging food a breeze.

I committed to logging food every single day for several weeks. This was time-consuming, but so was the energy I wasted feeling poorly about my postpartum body. Logging food kept me disciplined and focused. I stopped snacking because I didn’t want to log 37 goldfish and stopped drinking alcohol because I now felt accountable.

I became familiar with my own macros and found myself eating many of the same foods every day to stay on track which later made logging food a breeze. Logging food is the most time consuming when we’re not eating whole foods.

Today, I log occasionally. Even though I’m aware of the macro content in my meals, it’s important to log occasionally to spot-check my macros. If you’re on point, perfect! If not, it’s an opportunity to make changes to get back on track. We often only need to make small tweaks to get our macros back on track and refocus on our goals.

8. Don’t buy food that tempts you. 

If ice cream is your guilty pleasure, don’t leave ice cream in your freezer! If it’s in your house, you are much more likely to eat it when you’re stressed, bored, exhausted, or overwhelmed.

My kids have never had a bowl of sugary cereal at home or experienced the joy of an Oreo cookie. It’s not because I’m supermom—it’s not because I don’t allow sugar from time to time. My kids are deprived of these things because if they are in my pantry, I WILL eat them.

Yes, they still beg, harass, and plea for tastier snacks, but I never cave. When my kids snack, they eat cheese sticks, fresh fruit, Cheerios, Goldfish, applesauce, and other healthy snacks. These are all foods I either don’t like, that don’t tempt me, or that I also enjoy and can share with them.

Your home is a safe place. You shouldn’t feel threatened or tempted by foods that will hinder your goals. If it’s too hard for you to avoid certain foods, simply get rid of them.

9. Schedule focus meetings.

Focus meetings aren’t just for newbies. I still have focus meetings and walk away every single time with either a tidbit of new information or feeling reenergized to tackle my goals. Having a log of measurements allow me to see progress or gives me a wakeup call when I’m off track.

There is always more information to learn, recipes to be shared, and tips and tricks to help us stay focused.

Focus meetings are meant to keep us accountable, focused, and constantly learning. There is always more information to learn, recipes to be shared, and tips and tricks to help us stay focused. You are never too fit for a focus meeting! Fitness is a journey, so leverage the resources available to you. (To schedule a focus meeting with your trainer, download the Burn Boot Camp app!)

10. Don’t expect to be perfect.

Perfection is impossible, so why would anyone expect to be perfect when it comes to nutrition? Well, I did…and failed. I was so strict that when I did “fall off,” I reverted to unhealthy eating habits. I lost control and lost all semblance of balance.

Being disciplined means wanting to achieve your goals more than giving into temptation. It means saying “no” because you know how happy you are when you feel good. Discipline doesn’t mean perfection. We’re all human. We lose focus. Life gets in the way. Understanding that set backs ARE part of the fitness journey will prepare you to handle situations better.

So, you ate a hot dog when you shouldn’t have, let it go. You haven’t meal prepped in weeks, move on. Leave these setbacks in the past and simply do better next time. Balance, balance, balance!

Chelsea Theodoropoulos is the owner of Burn Boot Camp Manchester (St. Louis, Missouri). Her life transformation through health and fitness began three years ago as a member at Burn Boot Camp Huntersville which led to a career in the fitness industry and mission to change lives. Simple “recipes” with macronutrient breakdowns can be found on her Instagram @chelseatheo_fit.