I had a client recently who always had the same response when I gave her some coaching … whether that was to perform an exercise a certain way or incorporate a new nutrition habit into her routine.

“I’ll try.”

I made some good progress getting her to recognize the flawed mindset behind “trying” vs. “doing.” But when this same negative word kept coming up over and over again, I realized that she wasn’t going to be a client for long.

And sure enough, when things got tough she moved back into activities that were more in her comfort zone. Walking, hiking, and other activities that didn’t require physical or mental changes, or a commitment to anything other than putting one foot in front of the other.

If your goal is to improve in a significant way from where you are today to being the strong, healthy, flexible, confident person you’d like to be, you’re going to need to stop “trying” and start “doing.”

Changing almost always requires a move outside of our comfort zone. Avoiding activities and new habits that make us uncomfortable is only going to leave us stagnant, or worse, move us backward.

Saying you’re “trying” is also a bit of a copout. It’s a way of avoiding commitment to the actions we need to take to achieve the thing we’re “trying” to do.

And if it doesn’t happen, it can be easy to make ourselves feel better by telling ourselves, “Well, I tried.”

It’s important to break this cycle. But how?

Simply put, we need action goals.

Once we identify the specific thing that we want – lose 10 pounds in 8 weeks, or drop 2 dress sizes in 4 months – then we can measure our progress along the way.

Most importantly, we can establish and commit to the actions that will increase the likelihood of achieving the goal.

Saying, “I’m trying to lose weight” is much different than deciding, “I’m going to have lean protein with every meal,” or, “I’m going to shift my carbs to breakfast and post-workout meals and double up on veggies in my other meals.”

For the first statement, you’re giving yourself an excuse to fail … and pat yourself on the back for “trying.”

The latter two statements are decisions you’ve made to take action. And there’s no ambiguity about taking the action. Each day, you either did or you didn’t.

So, if you want a certain outcome with your health and fitness, stop trying and start doing. You’ll be amazed by how much more successful you’ll be with this approach.