7 reasons why progress gave you the finger

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[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_dropcap color=”” boxed=”no” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]I[/fusion_dropcap]’m going to be straight with you as always, there’s no sugar coating to be found here and every expletive found in this post is in your best interest. I’ve done some stupid shit in my time on this earth, my approach to my fitness definitely being no exception. I am like everyone, I want things, I want it all, and I want it now. Due to this I’ve fallen on my face a few times and thought I’d share a few things I’ve experienced that you might observe on your journey that will seriously derail your success train, so here is 7 reasons why progress is giving you the finger:

You’re trying to change everything

Absolutely every..fucking..thing…at once. Your fitness regimen, your diet, your lifestyle, your sleep habits, your work schedule, your hobbies, just about everything you can conceive to tinker with you’re trying to change and now you’re sitting there wondering why the fuck you can’t hold it together. More is not necessarily better or faster, you are sabotaging your efforts by not focusing on the one or two things that will have the most impact. These things also have to be successfully integrated in your life for weeks/months before you can take your eye off them and move onto the next thing. So pick a focus, pick an action step, handle that shit like a boss.

You haven’t designated milestones along the way

You know quite clearly what your end goal is, but if it’s something far-reaching the stuff in the middle becomes much more important, it’s what keeps you on track and makes the impossible seem much more plausible. Breaking it down into steps can do a lot to keep you on track and keep you focused. Want to lose 40lbs? well start with 1,5, 10 and so on. If you run into obstacles it’ll also serve to remind you that it’s not impossible to move forward.

You believe you deserve to be successful

We are all defaulted a certain level of advantages or disadvantages throughout our lives, genetics, status, family, circumstance but none of this inherently guarantees you anything. The work we put in also offers no guarantees of our eventual success, it only sways the pendulum more so in your favor with each “correct” action you take. I say correct because sometimes your efforts aren’t always productive, you have to discover what the right focuses are. So putting in work, in the right capacities is the only way to stack the chips in your favor. If you aren’t where you desire, you need to be honest with yourself and ask “am I truly focusing on the things I need to be doing”, and if yes then you just need to keep busting your ass till you’re there.

You play the blame game

Tieing into the previous point, you can blame anything you want for what you do or do not have but it’s fucking pointless it’s the equivalent of spitting at a mirror. Feel sorry for yourself, point fingers, throw tantrums and show the world what kind of a worthless bitch you really are…or fix your shit, get the fuck up and get shit done. We all get hurt, let down, suffer, fail and grieve, it’s ok to have moments of weakness and in these moments you take the time you need to recover but in these moments you also need to look to yourself for opportunities and ask what did I contribute to getting here and what actions will I take to move forward.

You don’t acknowledge your successes

Back to the milestones, acknowledging your wins is huge. Every success is representative of the work you alone put in, it was not handed to you, and without your efforts it wouldn’t have been possible so be proud of this. Regardless of perceived significance, it’s irrelevant your success will only ever matter most to you.

You think more than you act

Paralysis by analysis can be a death sentence, a one way ticket to the purgatory of stagnation and regression. Should I bulk, cut, should i do paleo, keto, IIFYM, weightlifting, powerlifting, crossfit, calisthenics, the list goes on but this doesn’t only apply to fitness. In our world of options we do less than ever. We relegate our decisions to circumstance or let them be made for us and we wonder why our lives feel out of our control. Act, you can sketch a plan but that plan is worthless without action, there will be variables you didn’t account for and you will make mistakes but at the very least every action is a step in a direction.

You take advice from the wrong or too many people

The girls in the office always used to get together between coffee breaks and discuss diet tips sourced from shit like skinny bitch books, and you can probably guess the results of this; those bitches did not get skinny. If your source does not exemplify expertise in the area you seek guidance on what qualifies them to provide said recommendations. Here’s a good list of coaching qualifiers (sourced from Dave Tate):
What is their education?
What is their experience?
What has the person done and for how long?
Who have they trained with?
Who have they made better than they are (were)?
What adversity have they faced?
Is this a part time or full time thing?
Beyond this often times we look to others for advice on recommendation we’ve been given, or even pit the advice of different qualified sources together. This is counterproductive, each person arrives at their knowledge in their own way so the end result may be the same but the process is often different. Put your blinders on, commit to a path, reap the rewards or at least give it enough time to determine if it’s right for you.

You’re expecting miracles not results

Look if you’ve spend months, years, decades destroying yourself or doing shit you have to realize you need to commit to at least the same amount of time to undo the damage. It may not take the same amount of time but that’s your minimum acceptable commitment, put in the work and things will move but in typical cliche fashion it won’t be easy but it’ll be worth it.

 

That’s it, get shit done and keep that train rollin.

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About the author 

Coach Jason

Coach Jason Ingham is a personal trainer, nutrition coach, and founder of BID Health and Performance. Jason has spent more than 20 years practicing the art of lifting and coaching, continually refining his skill set to help his clients build bodies they're proud of pain-free while doing what they love.

When he's not in the gym you'll probably find him buried in a book, exploring the city's restaurants, or crushing the latest streaming sci-fi or fantasy series with his partner Bailey.

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