It can be hard sticking to your weekly fitness routine or working on improving your eating habits. The reward for doing either of them is always delayed and most times even painfully slow. Lifestyle change takes enormous amount of perseverance where you have to tough things through to keep the momentum going. If it would be easy, I wouldn’t spend mad amount of time each week writing my blog.
The rest of the world is selling you million variations of silver bullet solutions. They pull us into million different direction competing for our attention, promising the latest advancement that turn us from zero to hero. These range from fat loss programs and ultimate fitness toys (that fit under your bed for convenience) to achieving Arnold-like muscle gain by only consuming the Turbo-5000-miracle supplement. They promise to revolutionize your health with one pill (green coffee beans anyone?).
Why is all this so appealing that makes us fall into the same trap over and over again. It’s because “here, take this once every morning and you will [insert any fitness goal, ever] in two weeks” *, sure does sound more appealing than “lift heavy weights two to three times a week for a year. Eat six to ten serves of colorful vegetables a day. Oh, and you may also have to learn how to cook and limit some other things such as alcohol and chocolate.” Which marketing strategy, you think, would sell more of the product?
This is the same when it comes to making money. Some of us fall into the same traps of quick returns. We think “this time it will be different.” It won’t be different. Whether it’s fitness or money, it will be exactly the same as the last time. But as with anything where there’s money to be made, there will always be people who have the integrity of a garden worm. They will take advantage of people in a struggle.
It’s hard, I know. Life is full of activities that give you the instant gratification. Buy something new for yourself, scroll Facebook feed or play Candy Crush instead of doing something else more meaningful. We rather spend the money now instead of saving it for later. We rather eat a piece of banana bread with peanut butter (that’s me). Or eat anything with peanut butter for that matter (that’s me again).
We two legged human animals drive on instant gratification, because it is satisfying to get something now instead of waiting for it. Why? Because it makes us feel frickin’ good about our selves. At least for that first five minutes.
Sure, doing a training session can do a similar thing for you. You get the endorphins going. Funny side story; I once misheard a client say, ‘dolphins’. I thought it was the best session of her life since she felt these magical creatures swimming around her! But I digress. You don’t see anything happening after a single session. Well, maybe few veins popping up but that won’t last. There is no instant tangible reward from doing it. Over a longer period of time though, oh boy that’s another story. It will get you to places. Like space, I bet Richard Branson denies you a seat on his future spaceship if you are not fit enough to fly. So there’s that.
That’s why you just have to put your head down, take the ownership of your situation and put in the work. Keep showing up at the gym and learn how to cook your own meals. Plan ahead and put in the same effort you would at your job. Good things will happen. Every other aspect of life improves when our health improves.
Nothing worth something comes easy in this life. How much effort are you willing to put in to be healthy not only now but 10, 20, 30 years from now? Show up now and you’ll be the one who will reap the benefits in the future. All while everyone else will struggle to squat down to pick a carrot from the bottom of the fridge.
Think of the long-term benefits of staying active even during the busy periods of life. Are you paying for your health now by investing in yourself. Or are you going to pay later by investing money on your doctor’s holiday house.
Oh, and the secret of fit people: patience.
*Then you have a look at the small print, you always read the small print, yes? ‘The participants followed a strict 150 calorie daily diet and exercised five times a day. They also lived in a similar conditions comparable to Siberian labor camp to achieve the promised results. If it sounds too good to be true it usually always is. Just Google what has happened to the previous Biggest Loser contestants.
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