Wednesday musings, 12/28/16: improving

“Improvements are like grains of sand. Almost unnoticeable on their own but together they add up to something wonderful.” ~Shawn Mozen

Once you move past the honeymoon period of beginning an exercise program for the first time and all of the incredibly fast improvements that come along with beginning have occured, things feel like they come to a halt. Improvements aren’t as fast, workouts aren’t always epic, and the work that goes into showing up isn’t always rewarded by noticeable improvements in skill, strength, or mobility.

We live in an era where we are used to immediate gratification. The trouble with this is we expect the same immediacy we get from Amazon in our workouts. We look for hacks to get stronger, we search for the shortcuts instead of embracing the process.

I made significant gains in strength and mobility this past year. If you measured my day to progress, it would have been almost imperceptible, but if you took a snapshot of my abilities one year ago and compared it today, the progress would be apparent.

I notice the same thing in my clients. I watch them move, week after week, and one day, usually a few months after we have started, things are different. Their coordination, strength, and control are “suddenly” dramatically better.

As you plan for your New Year’s resolutions, commit to the long game. Don’t worry about how quickly you can accomplish a specific task. Instead, commit to doing the work, week in, and week out and see what happens.