Let it Marinate

          Welcome to afitnewyou!  There are many times when we quickly become impatient with the time it takes to see the results we are looking for after starting a new exercise routine or eating plan.  After being motivated to start something new to achieve your goals, there is this excitement to reach a fitter new you.  But when the results don't appear over night, or in the time frame we were expecting, it is easy to become discouraged and want to quit.  I think this expectancy comes in part from a lack of knowledge in how the body actually changes, and also in part because we are becoming a society that longs for instant gratification.  Another reason why I believe people expect results to come so quickly is that many people are looking for the "magic pill" to fix whatever it is they are looking to fix.  Unfortunately, body change doesn't happen over night.  I know there are people out there that truly believe that if they eat a donut that it will "go straight to their hips," but this is simply not true.  The good news is that there is truth to the saying "good things come to those who wait."  If you are looking for a real, substantial and lasting body change, you need to give your new exercise routine and/or eating plan sometime to adequately affect your body.  So do not be discouraged if you are not seeing the results as quickly as you would like.  Rather, be encouraged that the changes will be lasting ones as your body adjusts to your new healthy lifestyle!

          I tell my students that the information age has been both helpful and hurtful to society.  Even though I might come across to them as the old man yelling "Get off my lawn!" I tell them that having information at our finger tips is both beneficial and detrimental all at the same time.  It is great to be have such easy access to information and to be able to communicate with one other, even those across the globe instantaneously, but it also has caused a good deal of the population to become impatient.  People become anxious if they do not get an automatic response after sending a text, message or email.  I also believe that there is a lack of appreciation for the ability to acquire information so easily, instead of having to physically go to the library and search it out.  The fact that cars can be fully restored and homes completely renovated within a half hour's time to the viewer's eye and a full season of a television show can be consumed in a weekend also contribute to this thought that things happen more rapidly than they require at times.  So when someone starts a new fitness regiment, they often think their results will occur as immediately as they have started.  Although the moment you decide to start working on your health and change your behaviors to help you achieve your fitness goals you have initiated the body change you are seeking, you will most likely not see immediate results.  However, if you give your body the time it needs to adjust to your new lifestyle, you will see changes that last!

          When you make changes to your physical activity and eating habits, your body and its metabolism need some time to adjust.  The brain needs time to know that the new things that you are doing are not just flukes and that it should adjust to the changes.  In order to see the body change results you are looking for, you need to be patient.  You need to let the changes marinate!  Think about some of the finer things in life, cheese, wine, bourbon...they all become better as they are given the time to age.  Meat that is put into marinade is better when it is left to sit overnight.  You too will get more out of what you are doing if you give it the time to take its course.  Don't expect immediate results; and don't get discouraged when they do not happen immediately.  Let your new routine marinate, give your body the time it needs to adjust to the change.  One workout will not cure years of inactivity.  But your body will in fact change to the changes you make...just be patient and keep up with doing what is good for you!

          It is never too late, and no one is ever too far gone to start adopting healthy habits in one's life.  And the moment that you do decide to take control over your health and fitness is the moment that you start the journey to a fit new you!  Just don't be dismayed if you are not seeing the dramatic results that are akin to a home renovation or a car restoration that is edited into a half hour show when it takes weeks and or months in reality.  Transformations are possible, they just take time.  If you continue your efforts, your body will benefit in the long run like many of the finer things in life that become better over time.  Do not be discouraged!   Results will come!  Letting your new health routing marinate is realistic and lasting way to reach a fit new you!