It's running a marathon, not a sprint....

No. I'm not talking about running distances. I'm talking about how we have to think about making healthy behaviour changes in a quest to not only improve body composition but also achieve healthier and happier lives. Clients with a long road ahead to get to their fitness goals inevitably come to a point where the speed of their progress slows - or stalls completely when they plateau. Even people who have been training for a long period of time need to be reminded that the journey they are on isn't a matter of 'how fast' it can happen. Sometimes, even when people experience steady progress, it's just not 'as fast' as people would like it to be.

Yes, of course it would be lovely if our ideal body would just appear after a couple of weeks of compliance.....but lets be honest. That's not realistic. Ask anyone who has obtained fitness goals that you admire. Likely they didn't start training a month ago. More likely, it's been months or years in the making. Don't let that frustrate you. All it means is that you have to take it slow and commit to making permanent lifestyle changes.

Stick with it, week in and week out and you'll hit your goals. If results are consistent stick with what you're doing - it's obviously working. If results cease or slow dramatically, re-evaluate what you're doing. Is your diet as tight as it needs to be? Are you exercising effectively? Are you being honest with yourself and your efforts? If you are doing the right things, be patient. Sometimes even when you do everything right, progress stagnates. Stay on the course and don't give up.

My advice if you're in a slump and need to recharge yourself? Pick a discrete amount of time to re-focus. I like 6 weeks but any time within 4-8 weeks tends to work well. You want enough time to see changes in the body, without seeming like an overwhelmingly long time ahead of you. Take skinfold or girth measurements, take pictures, journal about how you feel and your energy levels, record how much (and how) you're lifting. Take as many measures of progress as you can because you may find results appear in some areas but not others. If you don't take various types of measurements, maybe your 'lack' in progress only appears that way because you aren't looking at all possible areas of improvement. Don't miss out on gauging your success!

And more than anything - keep going. Pace yourself. Make changes that are sustainable in your life, that you could comfortably do throughout your life. Be in it for the long haul!

The people who succeed with lofty goals are the people who don't let their determination waiver. Be patient. Be strong. Keep looking forward.

If you want extra encouragement, check out this great blog post by Jen Comas Keck!