Keys to Faster Progress

There’s an evolution that occurs as you determine and work toward your specific fitness goals.

If it’s weight loss, you tend to start off with great determination and excitement as you initiate new behaviors.

You say no to dessert.
You prepare all your meals ahead of time to stick to your new eating plan.
You schedule your workout times to assure that you won’t miss a workout.
You get to bed earlier to start the next day full of energy.

It’s easy to take advantage of this new enthusiasm for a favorable change.

Then it gets a little harder.

You hit what Seth Godin refers to The Dip.

The Dip is where progress seems to slow. Effort seems to increase. Everything is now harder.

The Dip is the moment that you need to treasure and embrace because on the other side of The Dip is success.

Once past The Dip, we are easily making the decisions every day and every week that support our goals of living an active lifestyle. We live our life almost on automatic. Progress is made and consistency is internalized.

There is one drawback to having such great habits. Complacency sets in.

We can start to stagnate progress or even slip backward.

The solution is a weekly period of review and reflection.

Each week, take 15-30 minutes to look back at your week and give yourself a grade as it were.

What were the best parts of my week?
What did I do well?
What did I learn?
What did I not do well?
How can I do those things 1% better?

That’s all you need to shoot for… 1%.

Progress is not about radical, broad, or extreme changes.

Progress is achieved by small, consistent improvements over time.

Can I consistently go to bed on time?
Can I execute my exercises with better technique?
Can I encourage my gym friends to push harder?
Can I attend to my meal portion size better?

Where can you improve by 1%.