5 tips to help you be patient in your fitness journey

Jan 11, 2024
Being patient in this age is really difficult!
I guess we can all notice how these days we’re wired to get everything we want instantly, especially if you live in London. 

Amazon delivers same day. 
Food delivery is on your door step in no time.

I’m not surprised that when people come to me asking for help to achieve their goals, their patience is low and expectations are high. It’s a miss match that needs to be dealt with right away. 

These are some of my best strategies that help me when I feel impatient:

1. Zoom out

People overestimate what they can do in 12 weeks and underestimate what they can achieve in 12 months. You can look like a new person in 12 months of being consistent. You’ll also see good changes in 12 weeks, but don’t expect anything huge.

2. Set performance goals

Get your first push up. Your first chin up. Deadlift your own bodyweight. Then double it. Having performance goals keeps training interesting, rewarding and keeps you consistent.

3. Set weekly goals

Set an average step count goal. Can you hit 7-10k steps a day? Or can you hit protein target 6 days out of 7? Or do at least 3 of your 4 workouts this week. Write down what a successful week looks like for you, then go get it!

4. Reward yourself

If you’ve been at least 80% consistent over the last month, reward yourself. We’re driven by positive reinforcement. Have a day of spa, buy a new gadget or book a trip. (Avoid using food as a reward if you’re working on relationship with food)

5. Find a hobby

If you’re always looking up fat loss and fitness info, of course you’re going to get impatient. Once you have the habits in place to get you your long-term goals, find something else to occupy your time.

These are all general and you can adopt to yourself. I use them too. For example:

1. I set myself performance goals rather than aesthetics. If I train for an event, good aesthetics are usually just a side effect of having fun with training.
2. I do treat myself with food. For example I only have takeaways on Friday after a 4 days of being on the top of my meals and workouts.
3. I play ball hockey. I spend literally all my days in the gym, it’s easy to fall into trap of comparing yourself to others or chasing goals that are not really yours. Hockey takes me back to my youth where I used to train a lot but a sole focus was to have fun, perform better and enjoy a good game with my friends.

Is there any other strategy that works for you? I’d like to hear about it ;)
 

Workout of the day:

Here’s a advanced upper body workout that should take 60-70 minutes including a decent warm up. It’s a push day with focus on horizontal plane (pushing in front of you rather than above you). If your goal is to build a better chest, shoulder and improve upper body strength, give it a go.

Strength:
5x5
Bench press (80% percent of your 1RM)
-rest 3 min

Accessories:
3x10
Incline dumbbell bench press
Incline dumbbell chest supported row
-rest 2 min

Finisher:
EMOM 12
Min 1 - 30 sec skierg
Min 2 - 10 plank walk ups
Min 3 - 20 half V-ups