It's going to take time, so let's invest that time.

One common reason why people give up on their health/fitness plans soon after starting them is that they don't see results right away.  The difficult thing about getting fit or losing weight is that it takes time, and these days people want things and they want them now.

I am no different.  I hate having to wait for things - I despise waiting in line for service, waiting for delivery of parcels, waiting for people who are late, and many other things that I need to wait for.  But unfortunately you can't rush the human body.

Weight loss especially is a waiting game.  The best way I have heard fat loss explained is this: "you didn't gain all of the weight in a week, so do you think you will be able to lose it in a week?", and it is so true.  It takes time.

This is why I always advise clients to look at their health and fitness goals in terms of a lifestyle change rather than a "diet".  The word diet implies that it is temporary - a quick fix for a few weeks or months and then back to "normal" eating.  By thinking this way you are setting yourself up for failure, or at least for a temporary fix to a lifelong issue.

By looking at it as a lifestyle change, you can reframe your thought processes as an investment in the future.  Eating healthily is an investment in avoiding diabetes and heart disease.  Exercise is an investment in a strong heart and lungs, and in avoiding falls in older age too.  Getting regular sleep and rest is an investment in your ability to battle stress and fatigue in your day to day life.

So let's try to reframe our thinking about health and fitness as a community/population? We can begin investing rather than feel like we are giving things up when we "diet".  Let's invest in a healthy future, what's the worst that could happen?
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I would love to hear what you think about this article.  Feel free to comment or recommend this post to a friend via social media.  It would mean a lot to me.

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