Out of all the clients, friends and family that I have coached, one thing consistently separates those who achieve their fitness goals from those who do not.
That is, the ability to set realistic expectations.⠀
Let me explain.⠀
Person A —-> Wants to lose 20 pounds in time for their end-of-summer vacation.⠀
The problem is, person A has only 30 days until their trip and doesn’t have much more than 20 pounds to lose.⠀
This goal is quite hard to achieve and would require drastic, unrealistic measures.
In addition, person A has no interest in keeping a food log, planning their meals or workouts, or making it to the gym more than twice a week.⠀
These steps are by no means necessary for everybody, but if you are pursuing such a lofty goal, you will have to endure a lot of challenging tasks.
Person B —-> Initially wants to lose 20 pounds for a vacation, but soon realizes that this is unrealistic given their current situation. ⠀⠀
They are self-aware of being able to commit to only to 2 workouts a week, a bit more walking and to eating whole foods more often.
They decide to set a goal of losing 3-5 pounds in 4 weeks, focusing on strength improvements and feeling their best while on vacation.
Person B can make great changes in the 4 week time span while continuing to improve their habits after the vacation is over.⠀
Which person, A or B, do you think will achieve their goals?
Which will enjoy the process more?
Person B of course.
By matching your expectations with what you’re willing to do, things will go much more smoothly.⠀
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t set big goals; you definitely should if you want to.
But there’s a difference between big goals, and ridiculous or unhealthy ones.⠀
If your goals are huge, you better have a strong why behind them and be ready to work your ass off.
Realistic expectations plus hard and consistent work will produce the results that you seek.