Why You’re Not Getting the Results You Want
Ever felt like you were working your butt off, eating right, taking classes, doing all the things, and not getting anywhere?
In my 10+ years of experience in the fitness world, there are three major reasons people don't see the progress they want.
1. You’re not doing the right things.
Y’all know I’m not about absolutes like right/wrong/good/bad when it comes to health and fitness so when I say “right,” I mean the things that are going to get you closer to your goals.
If you have a specific goal in mind, there will be certain actions you can take that will be more beneficial for that goal than others.
I have clients who come to me feeling like they don’t know what they’re doing wrong because they believe they're doing a lot -- taking classes, eating well, getting in extra running or walking.
But we have to remember that different goals require different things.
You need to provide the “right” stimulus for your body. If you say you want to look jacked, you’re going to have to do things that build muscle. Daily cycle or yoga isn’t the key there, no matter what Madonna might have told you.
If you want to be more agile on the pickle ball courts or more explosive in BODYATTACK, you need to train for that.
If your goal is to be leaner or more toned, that requires muscle, and you need to be eating enough, especially enough protein, in order to achieve muscle growth.
When you have specific goals, showing up to whatever class is happening when you get to the gym isn’t going to cut it (unless your goal is simply to stay active and move every day, which is totally valid).
2. You’re not doing enough
This is not intended to shame or blame anyone. Life is busy, and it’s hard, and there are many of us who feel like we’re just at the end of our ropes.
From a realistic standpoint though, consistency + frequency are key to improving overall health and fitness.
If you’re inconsistent with your workouts and your nutrition, that’s going to be reflected in your results. If you only pay attention to your fitness and nutrition occasionally, you’re also not going to see the changes you want, certainly not anytime soon.
Again, that’s not “bad.” There are seasons in our lives where different things must take priority.
It’s just a reminder that if we aren’t putting in consistent, frequent efforts, we will not see change.
If you feel like you ARE doing the work, I encourage you to double-check. Track your workouts on your calendar. Maybe keep a food journal and see what it tells you. Often, we forget about skipped workouts or extra cocktails when we’re frustrated by the results we’re not seeing, and getting a more accurate awareness of what we’re ACTUALLY doing is a game changer.
3. You’re trying to do too much all at once in a short period of time.
I once had a client tell me, “I’ve tried EVERYTHING and nothing’s worked.” She then proceeded to detail the looooooong list of diets and workout programs and classes she’d tried.
She hadn’t tried everything but she was actually pretty darn close.
But you know what she hadn’t tried? Sticking with any of it for more than a week or two max.
If you want to get stronger, build up your endurance, develop your muscles…it takes time. Time, consistency, and frequency, among other things.
If you have specific goals, you need to focus on those goals. Not on doing YouTube workouts, fitting in as much as possible, trying weird new exercises from TikTok, and hopping on a new diet each week. That’s not going to get you where you want to go.
You need a consistent program to follow each week that is tailored to the movement patterns, muscle groups, or training goals that are relevant to you. You need to regularly consume the appropriate amount of food for your body and your goals so you get the nutrition you need. And you need to eliminate the distractions of the shiny new workout or nutrition things that take your focus away from that.
If you already have a solid plan in place for your fitness and nutrition, follow it. Trust it. Give it time.
There will always need to be adjustments along the way, but if you don’t stick with anything long enough, you don’t have enough data or feedback to know what’s working and what needs to be changed, and you’ll keep spinning your wheels.
This week:
If you're struggling to see results, get curious. Do any of these sound familiar? If you need help figuring it out and getting in a better routine that will start working for you, email me! I'd love to help!
If you've ever struggled with one of these three in the past and overcome it, let me know that, too! I want to hear what helped you make the changes you needed to move forward.
