Have you ever seen the movie Shawshank Redemption? If not then you must not have TNT.
Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) goes to prison and eventually befriends Red Redding (Morgan Freeman). He uses his elite banking skills to help crooked prison officials.
Spoiler alert- at the end of the movie you find that Andy has been digging a tunnel for 19 years using a tiny, rock hammer. He uses that tunnel to escape prison.
He escapes to Zihuatanejo, Mexico if you happen to get asked that at trivia one night.
Now that is some long term planning and patience.
Do you think long term with your health and fitness goals? Not one month or even one year, but I am talking about 10 years in the future what you want to look and feel like.
It can be tough to get into that frame of mind. We live in a microwave society where we are used to getting things fairly quickly and easily.
I read a great quote in James Clear's newsletter recently. He said:
"Aim to be great in 10 years.
Build health habits today that lead to a great body in 10 years.
Build social habits today that lead to great relationships in 10 years.
Build learning habits today that lead to great knowledge in 10 years.
Long-term thinking is a secret weapon."
Health and fitness is a life long game. It is great to want to lose 50 pounds in 3 months. But I can't think of many healthy ways to do it.
I've seen this with several people who have come to my boot camp classes after having lost a large amount of weight very quickly. They came to me because they had gained it all back and added a few more pounds.
Extreme dieting and exercise to reach a short term goal almost always backfires. It is mentally and physically too much to keep up and then the eventual crash comes.
I'm not saying get rid of your short term goals. They are still very valuable and still relevant.
My suggestion would be to switch to long term thinking and turn your goal setting towards behavioral goals. Behavioral goals give you back all the power and put you in control.
Goals like:
-exercising 3 times per week
-eating until 80% full
-putting your fork down in between bites
-turning off electronics 1 hour before bedtime
- drinking 64 ounces of water per day
Play the long game, focus on behavior goals in the short term, and never sacrifice your long term health for short term results.
If you would like to reach your exercise and nutrition goals from the comfort of your own home, you are a good candidate for my Online Coaching program. You can learn more here --->Joe At Home