Client Story: What SUSTAINABLE CHANGE Actually Looks Like

This graph is from a client's progress chart in our app. This is a prime example of what putting in the work, being patient and being consistent will do.

And here's the cool thing - This client's primary goal was NOT weight loss.

This chart shows the progress from just under 2-years and what this client's weight has done. Again, the primary goal was NOT weight loss. It was strength. In other words, our direct focus was to "lift heavy things" (to put it simply).

This example is great for a few reasons that I wanted to share, to not only give you perspective into how change works, but also to remind you that if you do the SIMPLE things CONSISTENTLY over TIME, positive changes HAPPEN!! This cannot be emphasized enough.

Patience really IS a virtue.

If someone said to you that in 6-months, 1-year or even 2-years that you'd be walking around carrying less weight, would this be a bad thing? REGARDLESS of number. Could be 5lbs or it could be 50lbs. Either way, you're DOWN weight. Is that a bad thing?? MOST people GAIN 1-2lbs per year in their adult life. GAIN, not lose. As Strength Coach, Michael Boyle says; "... That means if you MAINTAIN your weight over the period of 1-year, you're outside the NORM." That's a VERY GOOD THING! Think about it, if someone you know is following the average person, in 5-years they could be 10lbs heavier. If you lose even 1 pound per year say, you'd be 5lbs lighter in 5-years than you are today! This is a mindset that we DON'T have or give enough focus and understanding to in health in our modern world. The benefits if we did would be awesome!! And those who do approach their wellbeing this way, know this fact.

I'm not saying you "can't lose more". Not at all. I'm saying for MOST people who are stressed out, frustrated and feel like health is unattainable for them, THIS is the way of thinking that will begin to create POSITIVE change for you. Change WILL happen if you LET nature take it's course and stay focused on the process rather than the outcome. Provide the proper environment for your body to change (ideally without force for us general population folks), and watch what happens in time.

Everyone's path is DIFFERENT.

Each one of us has our own unique physiology, our own life experiences, are own personalities, stressors, reactions to those stressors etc... WE ARE DIFFERENT!! STOP COMPARING yourself to people you know or worse, RANDOM people on social media. STOP. It's NOT helping you! In fact, you may be struggling MORE because of it.

My client's CHANGE is also different than we see in others as a matter of fact. Notice how this client really didn't have any "spikes" or "blips" in their progress? There's a steep drop at first, then it STILL CONTINUES to drop but on a less steep incline for a while. But no "blips". Cool. Now that said, I could take another client's progress for example and show you that they are lighter over that same time period, but you may see times where their weight fluctuates upward (for VARIOUS reasons) and then back down along the way. That's cool too! Either example has the same outcome - LESS weight over time.

Everyone is different. Where we ARE the same is the fact that we ALL need PATIENCE and CONSISTENCY in our health practices to create change.

"Zoom Out"

I've been using this term alot with clients in our discussion. A client might be having a tough week or two for example, feeling like they're "not doing enough" or frustrated with a "glitch" in their consistency because life got in the way. Yet, when we "zoom out" and look at a wider timeline (say over a 5-6 week period) we can see that the client HAS been consistent over that time. When 1 or 2 weeks out of 6 "aren't ideal", you're health is still trending in the positive direction you want.

If we use this client's graph as an example, if we zoom in you might see periods where there's only 1-2 lbs change over a month. I've had MANY clients over the years frustrated because they "should" be losing more in that stretch in their opinion. Yet their goal of LOSING WEIGHT is still very much intact because they're DOWN a pound or two. That's a "zoomed in" view. If we "zoom out" we see progress like my client's graph shows and suddenly PERSPECTIVE hits. "Oh wow! I'm 'x' pounds down from where I was a few months back!" (for example).

We are SO COMPLEX that focusing on ONE DAY, ONE WEEK or even ONE MONTH will NOT give you a clear indication as to how you ARE progressing. When you see the doctor for an appointment and they take your blood pressure, it's just a "snapshot" of time. It's NOT a "zoomed out" view of how things are ACTUALLY going.

The case for "Action Precedes Motivation"

As I mentioned, this client's primarly goal was to get strong. Weight was a "bonus" but not a direct target in her goals. That said, this is a great example of how simply doing SOMETHING can lead to motivation and other great things!

Throughout the past couple years, on her own for the most part and through some discussions in sessions, this client adjusted her eating habits, created consistency in her weeks, created some mindset shifts in terms of HOW she approaches her wellbeing and what's important / not important to her. These things all happened because SHE STARTED and she PUT IN THE WORK. Had she "waited for motivation", she most likely would STILL be waiting 2-years later.

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We all WANT and AIM for positive change. It happens MORE than we allow ourselves to recognize. If your "new normal" is different than it was before, in a positive way, then not matter if that change was "perfect" or "what you thought it would be", you've changed!!

...This client is physically lighter than she was 2-years ago without direct focus on weight loss.

...This same client on "light days" now lifts weight that is 2x heavier than her "heavy days" in that same timeline.

...This same client's norm is now 10-pushups on the floor, whereas a couple years ago 3-5 pushups on the wall were a struggle.

"Zoom out" to see the REAL CHANGES happening.

To finish let me leave you with an important mindset. Over time, ask yourself; "Am I a different person than before, in positive ways?" THAT is what is important in creating sustainable change. What we can't see on this client's chart are all the REAL LIFE STUFF along the way; illness, work, family, trips, set backs in training etc... and YET when we look at the bigger picture, she's made PLENTY of positive changes!! 🥰

Move AWAY from "perfection".

STOP focusing on the outcome.

SET your goal. Then CREATE your plans and daily actions, and put your ENERGY into THOSE.

The outcome will happen with patience & consistency.

Flowers don't grow overnight. Neither do we.