By Brent Botros Tree House Staff

Since I began working as a Fitness Instructor who specializes in training individuals who are recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, I’ve helped a lot of men achieve their fitness goals. I’ve worked with a lot of individuals who want to improve their body image, shed body fat, adopt healthy diet habits, increase strength, and so on. The list can go on and on as far as goals/outcomes are concerned. The most important thing to recognize, which is something most people initially ignore, is that in order to achieve those goals, the you have to remove your focus from them. The bottom line is that if you focus on the outcome, you will have very little chance of achieving it. What is more important is to focus on the thought processes and behaviors that ultimately lead to the outcome.

Lets take body fat as an example. Here is the scenario: Client X walks into my office stating that he wants to get leaner. He states that he wants to lose some body fat, improve his physique, and just generally look good in the mirror. Based on this information, the client should commit to certain behaviors that he can control. A few examples would be:

• Commit to not eating processed foods throughout the week.
• Exercise routine.
• Commit to exercising at least 3 days per week, including cardio.
• Commit to eating 2 servings of vegetables with each meal.
• Commit to eating the majority of sugars/starches/grains directly before and/or after exercise.

In this scenario, I’ve taken the client’s main outcomes and written out guidelines or commitments for behaviors.

When it comes down to it, we have no control over outcomes, but we can control our behaviors. If an individual can control their behaviors, it causes a ripple affect that ultimately shapes the outcome, most of the time allowing them to achieve their goals. So, my message here is simple — if you want to achieve your goals, start by changing your behaviors.

Tree House Recovery is a men’s treatment program located in Portland, Oregon. Creating sustainable recovery through sustainable change, our programs help men learn how to live sober with adventurous lives. Call us today for information: (503) 850-2474