During each show, a team made up of the home owners, a few carpenters, and a professional home stager, tackle and troubleshoot a listed property that has been sitting on the market for too long. The goal is to get the problem home “Open House” ready and, hopefully, sold, using a very small budget and not a lot of time. In just a few days they reposition, repurpose, and redecorate, and the results are almost always jaw-dropping.

The best part of the show, of course, is the big “before and after” reveal, and during a recent episode, I was struck by the parallels between getting a home ready to sell and getting the body into the great shape.

In fact, there are 3 main rules of home staging - what the insiders call the 3 D’s – Disassociate / De-clutter / Depersonalize - and these apply perfectly to fitness. Here’s how:

Disassociate
The first rule of thumb when trying to sell a house is to begin acting as though your home is no longer yours. This requires moving past your physical and emotional connection to it, as well as changing the way you live in it while you are waiting to move to a better place.

The first step in the disassociating process (whether it’s your house or your physical appearance) is to get it looking as new and fresh as you possibly can RIGHT NOW. Then, make a vow to keep it looking nice as you make the transition between the old and the new.

Buy a new set of workout clothes or try out a new hair style. Get a new pair of tennis shoes or go ahead and buy that new outfit - the one that fits NOW. Too often, in the process of changing, we take a “wait until I’ve reached my goal” attitude and this can actually slow the process of reaching your goal!

Feeling and looking your best as you get fit is one of the most frequently missed elements of making a successful physical transformation.

De-clutter
Nothing saps the energy of a space, or the people in it, like clutter. Unfortunately, when you are accustomed to living with piles of papers, unfolded laundry, and dirty dishes in the sink, it is very easy not to notice how it affects everything else around you. Sure, it seems silly to think that the reason you haven’t made it to the gym the past 4 weeks is due, in part, to the fact that your car needs to be cleaned out, but, I can assure you, there is a connection.

Mark my word, whether you want to change your body or change your address, one of the smartest things you can do is get organized, put things in their place, and make some visual room so you can think straight.

Organize your linen closet, clean out your pantry, cut your collection of glass elephants back to your three favorites. As you de-clutter, it might surprise you how many areas of your life begin to improve!

Depersonalize
Most people get stuck where they are (whether it’s in a house they can’t sell or a body they can’t change) because they insist on telling it “like it is.”

“This is who I am…” they’ll say, or “I know myself and this is how it’s going to stay.”

When we insist on telling the “who I am” story rather than the “who I’m becoming” story, it tends to lock us to all our old habits, thoughts and actions – the very ones that got us stuck in the first place.

Breaking free sometimes requires stepping outside ourselves and looking at our lives, our homes, and our bodies through an impartial lens. Home stagers do this by encouraging homeowners to decorate and arrange their homes in a way that appeals to a larger population.

From a fitness perspective, when it comes to changing the body, a good place to start is by telling a softer, happier story, one more people would like to hear, including you.

For instance, if you’ve always told the story of how you absolutely hate doing cardio, try changing your story to, “I look forward to a time when cardio is something I really enjoy.”

The key is to look forward and tell the story of the new you!

About the Author:
Dianne Orwig is a success coach, motivational speaker, fitness trainer, and founder of LivingFit Online™, a fitness program that has helped thousands of men and women completely transform their bodies and live healthier, happier lives though her less-is-better approach.

For more information on how you can get better results in less time and with less effort than you ever thought possible, visit http://www.lovelivingfit.com.

(c) Copyright - Dianne Orwig. All Rights Reserved Worldwide