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The Most Important Muscle for Fitness Success: Patience

After a long 2 year stretch of scarce inconsistent workouts (thanks Covid!) I finally re-started my workout regimine with attainable goals and realistic expectations. However, I quickly learned that my mobility, endurance, and strength is not nearly at the same level that it was pre-pandemic, and patience has absolutely become the most difficult muscle to exercise when attempting to conquer my fitness goals. Five quick things that are helping me along the way as I readjust:

1 Planning out my necessary steps.
I set my fitness goals, and then determined the necessary steps needed to accomplish them. For me, that included enlisting a motivated accountability partner with similar goals and a knowledgeable fitness trainer who understood how to help modify workouts to fit my physical needs and structure my workout itineraries. Having the process laid out helps me be more patient as I focus on one small step at a time.

2 Setting realistic expectations.
Once I had my goals defined and laid out the steps to achieve them, I set realistic expectations for myself. I quickly realized that if I expect results that are unrealistic then it becomes easy to lose patience when I am not improving as expected. Setting realistic expectations for my timeline and ultimate results helps me stay patient and persistent.

3 Not being discouraged by setbacks.
I was forced to accept that when working toward a fitness goal, setbacks are likely inevitable. Something will likely happen that is outside of my control that will affect my progress — from unexpected schedule interruptions to frustrating physical injuries. What I have to fight against is wanting to completely abandon my goals when the challenges come from unexpected setbacks.

4 Remembering improvement takes time
Being patient in any circumstance for me isn’t easy, and when I am waiting for results or improvement, it’s sometimes difficult to remember that the process takes time. There are no real secrets to overnight success, but it has been proven that with patience, discipline, and commitment, my efforts will eventually pay off.

5 Consistently showing up.
On the days when I am not sure if I am still improving or getting closer to my goals, I keep showing up anyway. This is where the accountability partner comes in. Because I enjoy her company and we have similar goals, it makes it easier to show up and be consistent.

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