Did you ever find yourself in this situation. Initially you feel really motivated and excited to do something, be it to get started and get in shape or to work on something in the hopes of achieving a goal.

You set out and start to get into a rhythm knowing that you have to be consistent and keep at the small things because all those small steps will contribute to your end goal. When you start out major positive changes can be seen and you feel even more motivated seeing the great changes.

The quick progress keeps going for a bit of time until you stop noticing such dramatic and constant changes. The changes are there, but relatively small. At first you adjust and keep going. But still, no extreme changes like it was when you started out, only very small progressions, sometimes barely noticeable and ‘significant’ to you.

Does that seem all to familiar? Don’t worry you are not alone. It happens to everyone.

The biggest changes and progressions are seen when you just start out. Starting to exercise and lose weight is a perfect example.

Initially you seem to drop the pounds almost immediately, then there comes a time where it becomes a real slow process and you may not see much progress for days.

It can be very discouraging and can even force you to a point of giving up as you may feel like you are just wasting your time and energy.

Another example is preparing for a fitness/bodybuilding show, just ask any seasoned competitor. When the prep starts it’s all great and the fat starts to melt off, the abs show more and more. And then bam! A few weeks out it all starts to slow and so do you. You begin to feel tired and de motivated, especially if it is your first time. Those last bits of stubborn fat just don’t seem to want to go away, or it may seem.

One other example that I can relate to, is stretching. A year ago I could barely touch my toes. Through constant stretching almost every day and yoga I have managed to increase my flexibility significantly, but it was not easy at all. There were days where I felt so stiff and it made me question if I was in fact actually progressing at all resulting in the thought of not bothering and giving it all up.

So what is the key when you feel progress is slow? KEEP GOING. Usually when you have made a big change and you stop progressing as fast as you were, it’s usually one of two things.

• One, you need a bit of a rest.
• Or two, you have to stick to the process and keep at it making small changes along the way.

We sometimes try to overcomplicate things and immediately when we feel the progress ‘halt’, we try to make massive changes and try to throw in so many different things they end up running us into the ground.

It all comes down to consistency and enduring the process. You have to think of the big picture and not get caught up analysing every step every single day. Your body and your mind adapt to the change as time goes on, thus why the changes are so dramatic in the beginning. Ultimately you have to push through that and even if you feel like its not working you have to keep going, because when you get to the end you will suddenly see the massive change you made. That change that you could not see at the time.

Remember progress is progress no matter how small.

It’s like monitoring your weight every day and obsessing over it. There are many factors at play that can cause your weight to fluctuate daily, so just keep at it and enjoy the process and over time you will see the results will come so long as you stay consistent and keep pushing through those tough times! Try not to measure so regularly during such periods.

Start to measure every week or every second week and stop checking (the scale) every single day. It will ease your mind and you can just focus on keeping to the process. Time and consistency deliver the results.