There's a lot of things you can do to increase the chances of weight loss and fitness success.
Actually you could write entire books on the subject and more than a few people have in the past.
But in my experience there's one major thing which will set you miles ahead in terms of results and getting the most from your workouts.
And it's really one of the easiest things you can do - especially once you get started.
Set yourself a habit.
When you first get started you're fuelled by the excitement and adrenaline.
Thinking about the weight you're going to lose and the change you're going to make.
It can be really easy to get started and tell yourself you'll be sticking with it.
And I'm assuming you've been there before.
Most of us have by now.
But the tricky part is to keep that up.
When we first start out we sometimes forget how much of a slog it can be to get some results and that means sticking with it for a while before you see any kind of results.
So what does that mean? It means most people will end up quitting before they actually get something from the workouts.
You lose interest, you lose motivation and basically you just lose your habit.
The longer you put off going the more likely it is that you won't go back again and that just leads to quitting.
It's rarely a decision to quit.
Usually you make an excuse or two to begin with and then it just gently fades away.
When it comes to weight loss there's only really two camps.
Those that lose some weight and those that quit.
So how do you get in the right group? By forming a habit.
You know the way smokers say it's hard for them to quit smoking because they have a habit? Well actually it's because of all of the addictive substances but my point stands.
If you have a habit of doing something it's a lot easier to stick with it - and harder just to stop.
Different things work for different people.
It's all about finding yourself a way to form a habit and once you get into the swing of things it becomes a lot easier to keep it going.
For some people it'll be working out with a friend or even a group.
Not only can this make it more fun but it can also ignite the competitive side in some people and you won't want to let people down - with means turning up.
For others just finding a slot in the day to go and forcing yourself to begin with is enough.
Personally I hate sleeping in because I feel like I waste the day so getting up early to go to the gym worked out a great habit because I enjoyed the rest of my day more.
For others going as they're leaving work at the end of the day might also work better.
It's really all down to personal choice and doing whatever suits you.