Fit for Life: Impatient? Want a Quick Fix? Read on...

Fit for Life: Impatient? Want a Quick Fix? Read on...

If you are anything like me, you want to see results and see them fast. I get an idea in my head and like to go all in. Taking action is my mantra, as overthinking leads to procrastination, and everything is done when we continuously kick that can down the road. 

Even taking imperfect action is better than taking no action at all. Jump first, then we can build the parachute on the way down, which is the mindset I have incorporated over the years.

However, that attitude has pros and cons; sometimes, things can backfire when we don't think things through. A good analogy is that we overestimate what we can do in a week but underestimate what we can do in a year. 

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A perfect example is when I bought into this life insurance policy a friend was selling. 

I thought I would see immediate returns on my investment. Still, when I got a second opinion, it was not a good policy for my needs. I wasted almost $7000 over time on something I don't need, or can use anytime soon. 

So, I backtracked and found a way to prevent it from costing me money every month and causing me to lose my investment. 

This has happened with marketing companies that made me big promises, only to fall short with the results. This cost me a lot of money, time, and, in some cases, reputation, as I had to go back and apologize to several leads for being too pushy with our sales tactics. 

Fast-forward to the present moment, and I now have a team of people around me who are patient and much more rational than I am. This creates balance in my thinking and what I will take immediate action on. 

According to my DISC profile, I am a high "D," which means I have a dominating, fast-acting, short-fused / attention-span personality type. I skip many details and look at the finish line outcome instead of the details needed to accomplish my tasks, which sometimes leads to communication breakdowns when dealing with a team. 

Don't get me wrong; high standards and attention to detail are super important to me while I perform a task. However, I lack depth in foresight and planning. 

So why am I telling you about myself and how I operate? As I always say, "Nobody cares but me." 

I'm telling you this because I assume that you are interested in better health and fitness if you are reading this. That's my arena, and what I am good at, so I am telling you all this because it applies to you getting better and healthier over the long run. 

Many of my clients at Providence Fit Body Boot Camp have come in after months, even years, of procrastination and "thinking" about being in better shape. They have reached a point of discouragement with themselves and have become reactive to taking back their health. 

We also have some people join and get discouraged that they aren't seeing results fast enough. The scale isn't going in their anticipated direction, and they feel they aren't improving. (Nutrition is usually the culprit, but more on this later)

Then we have people who have gotten amazing results and then regressed or feel they are staying the same. Complacency is the smoking gun on this one, so keep reading so you can avoid this trap along your journey. 

I have created a list of solutions for those of you who are either procrastinating, not seeing results fast enough, or feeling stagnant with your approach to better health and fitness. These tips will help you, regardless of where you are or what level you are on in life's journey to self-improvement. 

1. Start immediately—take action. Take steps as small as buying new sneakers, researching a gym, scheduling your first workout, and setting a 30-day goal. DO NOT go crazy and spend thousands on workout clothes or empty all the junk food from your cabinets. When you take too big of a leap, failing becomes more likely. Create small sustainable habits for longevity instead of doing everything all at once. 

2. Follow a process—There are four components to better health and fitness. Stay hydrated by drinking 1/2 your body weight in oz. Water daily, eat clean, nonprocessed food, get adequate sleep, and work out a minimum of three times weekly. That's the process of health and fitness. However, there are more details that go along with the outline, so keep reading for specifics. The process stays the same, but the details change a bit. 

3. Attention to detail - Eating the right amount of good food and the types of exercises you do will dramatically influence your outcome. At Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, our nutrition coaching program details your macros to specifically suit your personal needs & our workouts are strategically planned for the week, so you get an entire whole-body workout every time you walk through the door. You can't just randomly eat and exercise and expect long-term results. Our coaches will hone in on the details so you get the best result in the shortest time possible.

4. Be patient—Steve Jobs once said that if you look closely enough, most overnight successes do not happen overnight, and neither will your fitness goals. Look at how long it took to gain weight and get out of shape. Do you really think reversing it can happen quicker? NO is the answer, so please be patient with the process, as your body will take time to adapt to the new routine you are incorporating. 

5. Have high standards—Set the standard, and don't fall back from it. If your standard is to have six-pack abs, don't settle for less. When we lower our standards, we start to accept mediocrity and become okay with average. AVERAGE IS THE ENEMY, so don't accept being average. You are better than that!! Set high standards, and stick to them!!

6. Don't have unrealistic expectations. Focus on 1% better. - If you have 30lbs to lose, don't expect to lose it in a month. 1-1/2 to 2lbs of weight loss weekly is the expectation, so focus on 1 meal, 1 workout, 1 day at a time, and that leads us to my last tip….

7. Be consistent - Consider it a lifestyle, not a quick fix with an expiration date. I have been doing this for over 30 years, and there has yet to be a time when I have missed more than a week of workouts. Unless I got severely sick and ended up in the hospital (back in 2020), I have been consistent with my fitness and nutrition. Even with COVID, on vacation, dealing with family loss, holidays, building a business, etc., my fitness never wavered, and that's why, at 55 years old, I am in the best shape of my life and still trying to get better every day. 

So, if you are impatient and want a quick fix, you will continuously spin your wheels and chase your tail. 

Use the outline to develop some mindset tips and marching orders to build the habits and discipline to take your health and fitness to the next level. 

If you are confused or unsure what to do, Providence Fit Body Boot Camp has a team of expert coaches with a proven track record of getting folks just like you amazing results, so call us if you need help.

Remember, take step #1 and get started immediately. Remember, imperfect action is sometimes better than no action at all!! Jump out of the plane, and we will build the parachute on the way down. 

Fire, ready, aim!!

Coach Matt