Stop treating the symptom instead of the problem

Most of you know by now that I hate "quick fixes" because they're usually misleading and predatory.

Do you want results quick, or do you want results that last? 

Do you want to feel better temporarily, or do you want to stop feeling bad in the future?

Because the way you get quick results or immediate relief is almost never the same way you get lasting results. 

Some examples:

• You have tight muscles, so you foam roll. You feel better. You could keep foam rolling all the time (super time-consuming, ask me how I know), or you can do things to address the movement patterns that are causing the chronic tightness. 
   

• You have a headache because you skipped breakfast, haven't had water today, or stayed up too late, so you take Tylenol to alleviate it, instead of eating a meal, drinking some water, or getting more rest. 
   

• You feel achy and sore, so you get a massage. You feel better. You can keep getting massages (nothing wrong with a good massage!), but you could also address the reasons you might always be achy and sore, like poor nutrition, poor posture, or overtraining. 
   

• You want to lose weight quick, so you try a cleanse, a diet, or an appetite suppressant. You might lose scale weight quickly (NOTE: Losing WEIGHT on the scale is NOT the same as losing FAT) but you will also have less energy for your daily life, much less for exercise, because calories = energy. And as soon as you stop the cleanse, diet, or appetite suppressant, typically, you end up back where you started, but with an even slower metabolism, which makes it even harder to lose weight when you inevitably start the process again. 

When you address the root cause of the issue, you stop having the issue. 

When you learn how to train well, how to take care of your body, and how to properly fuel your body, you don't have to keep starting over and over again.

This might take physical therapy, it might take mental health therapy, it might take a few months of actually eating a well-balanced diet 80% of the time instead of downing a handful of almonds and calling it a meal. 

If you're having the same problems repeatedly, you need a different solution. You need a different approach. You need to stop treating the symptom and get right to the origin of the problem.