Lasting Change Takes Time

The cliche “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” is famous for a reason. Big, lasting change takes time. But boy, it can be hard to remember that when you have a big goal that you have set for yourself. So let’s put things in a more modern perspective. 

Here’s a whole list of things that did not change in a day:

1. Your hair did not go from short to long in a day.  (Unless you got extensions.)
2. You did not go from running 1km to a marathon in a day.  
3. The 15lbs you gained did not happen in a day.  
4. You did not “lose” your cardio in a day.
5. You did not learn to walk in a day.
6. You did not make the best sourdough bread in a day. 

If you have short hair and want to grow it out, it will take time and patience. I get super excited about really short hairstyles once every five years or so, and I go for it. About six months later I’m over it, and decide to grow it out again. There is no regret, but I know that it will take time to go long again. 

I can’t remember my early-walking days, but oh boy I DO remember my daughters learning to walk. There was a lot of falling down, reverting back to crawling, holding on to objects for support… But after a lot of trial, error, and persistence, they all learned to walk in their own time. Since then, I’ve watched them learn to dance, skate, ride bikes, and wake surf – and each time, they fell down (and got back up) a lot. 

Even Pilates was not created in a day, or even a year. Joseph Pilates dedicated his life to experimenting and practicing on himself, as well as with clients. So why is it that we expect to lose weight, get strong, and “be fit” after only a month or so of effort? 

Read: 8 Pilates Facts You Might Not Know

Health & Fitness is a Journey

We live in a world of quick fixes and immediate gratification. I am old enough to remember going to the school library to look up facts; now, you can ask Siri or Alexa, and they will give you an answer right away! 

Unfortunately, the immediacy we enjoy in so many parts of our lives is not transferable to our health and fitness. Teaching our bodies new movements and our minds new habits takes time and practice.  

With practice, patience, and consistency, you can achieve almost anything – from running your first 5km to baking that perfect loaf of sourdough bread. I certainly didn’t start out running marathons. In fact, it took me years of running 5km, then 8, then 10, before I even considered training for a half marathon. My first full marathon was years down the road. 

Read: Progress, Not Perfection

The Secret to Successful Change

When I meet with a client who has big goals for their health and fitness, we talk about what reaching that goal will mean to them. Envisioning that end point is a powerful motivator! But then, we spend even more time breaking that goal down into smaller, achievable pieces. Why? 

Imagine you want to run 5km, but have never run before. If you just go out every day without a plan, and hope to run 5km “soon” – you are bound to feel disappointed every time you don’t hit that goal. There is no marker of success, rather than running the full distance. 

On the other hand, if you set much smaller goals – like run for 4 minutes – you are going to see much faster success. Each little success will keep pushing you forward to the next, helping you gain momentum, and make you feel amazing! And THAT is what fitness is all about – feeling better about yourself, no matter where you are in your journey. 

Do you need help reaching your fitness goal? Let’s talk!