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“I’m about done with all of this. I am so frustrated! I’ve only lost one pound in two weeks!”
I’ve heard it and you may have said it. Did I miss something? Didn’t you say you lost a pound? Wow, that is great! Slow progress is better than no progress (and I’d like to argue fast progress, too!) But, why does this frustrate us when we are in the waiting game for those pesky pound or inches to drop off?
No one likes the word wait or slow. In a world where almost everything we want is at our fingertips, the one thing nobody wants is to wait. And that is 100% true with fitness goals.
However, impatience leads to frustration, and frustration leads to feeling down and hopeless until we kick our goals to the side altogether. “Oh well, maybe next time,” we tell ourselves.
Well, FORGET THAT – because, this IS your next time. And it’s time to practice a little patience. (Axl Rose has been trying to tell us this for decades, haha!).
Recognize When You Need It
A lot of time, when something isn’t happening right away, we think we’re not doing something right. Wrong. Sometimes, change takes a while to happen. Let me say that again… CHANGE TAKES A WHILE TO HAPPEN. Instead of finding a problem with your strategy, recognize that you may be doing everything correctly, but you just need a little patience.
When it comes to your body, many times it takes 2-3 weeks for it to adjust to new changes. I know, it goes against every fiber of your being! But I promise, holding out is sometimes what you’re meant to do. If you’ve really been consistent with a strategy or action for at least 3 weeks with no results, that is the time to tweak your approach. However, if you are sporadic with your actions and not being honest with how many veggies you truly are eating or how many take outs you are overindulging on, this is not a strategy issue, but a consistency one (said with love).
If this is the case, time for some accountability for those actions. So use a friend, a calendar, a journal, an app, or a coach, to name a few. Being accountable for consistent actions can kick that impatience right out the window, because you see your success.
Signs of Impatience
It’s tough to start practicing patience when your impatient and frustration habits are solid. If you are constantly wishing you could be your future self or repeatedly reliving your past slip-ups, you are forgetting about the current YOU. The one that CAN make a difference! Too much impatience can also cause muscle tension, hormonal imbalances, and stress levels to sky-rocket.
So let’s say peace out, impatience! If you feel a frustrating situation coming on, allow yourself to slow down. Take deep breaths and ask yourself what’s upsetting you. If the answer is, “Because I want it now, darn it!” then this is the opportune moment to introduce a little patience and focus on your plan and actions.
Be Grateful and Re-Evaluate
There is a difference between wanting things to happen faster, and having unrealistic expectations that may just never be. If you’re hopelessly longing for outcomes, look inward and ask yourself if these are truly realistic. I am not saying don’t reach for the stars, but you may currently be reaching too far from where you are at.
Be grateful for what you have in the present and practice this each night before bed. Your family. A warm home and food on the table. Support from friends or a coach. Access to resources to help you get closer to your goals. Whatever it is… Appreciate these things daily.
Then start to re-evaluate those goals. Are you beating yourself up because you want to look like you did in high school, but that was 6 sizes ago? Adjusting these goals to actions vs. outcomes could just be what you need. So, try this…
What is one small step that you can take today to get you closer to that smaller size? Don’t focus on what size you’ll end up as, focus on one step to get there.
How committed are you to taking this step daily? If it still seems like leaps and bounds, make it easier. It needs to feel almost silly it’s so easy to try.
For instance, many women don’t eat enough protein and could easily start there. Start with making sure you have a fist-sized portion at one meal at a time, until you’ve implemented it into each meal and snack of your day.
But, guess what? This will take time. It’s supposed to. It’s NOT a diet. It’s a long-term lifestyle you’re after, right?
Remember, patience won’t just be given to you. Look for the signs of an opportunity to whip out a little patience when the time is right! It takes practice, but you’re a tough cookie. With patience comes those things in life that are truly worth waiting for.
Let’s get Fired Upp with the power of waiting!
Nat
