Progress is Not Linear
Most people have goals of improvement. Whether it’s in their career, relationships, in the gym or everyday life. It’s so easy to get discouraged with minor setbacks. When something doesn’t go the way we necessarily plan or hope, we seem to lose sight of the bigger picture.
Progress is not linear. Progress is a trend – not a straight path. This is forgotten, or in a lot of cases, maybe unclear. This is why it’s important to take a step back and look at the entire scope of the situation.
As a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, I have conversations with people often about how defeated they feel in the gym. They may feel like they need to keep up with the person next to them, and can’t. Sometimes they are not in as good of shape as they used to be, and they compare where they are to a past version of themselves. Maybe they are just having a bad day, but again, fail to see the bigger picture.
Everyday is not going to be your best day. Each day is not going to bring wins and huge gains. Each day is filled with its own set of circumstances, challenges, struggles and triumphs. Everyday is not like every other day. This is what I want to convey.
There are so many things that impact your performance in, and even out of, the gym:
Physically – have you eaten enough today? What is your overall nutrition like? Are you hydrated? Did you get enough sleep?
Mentally – how much stress are you under? Are you wading through family problems? Are you experiencing extra pressure at work? Other personal issues?
Emotionally – are you angry or sad? Has something upset you? Are you going through a breakup, divorce or other relationship issue?
Our physical, mental and emotional states are highly variable and can change day to day, or even hour to hour, minute to minute. We take steps and do what we can to minimize impact to our health, but we are only human. These things alone give plenty enough reason to feel less than yourself, or as if you have taken a step back, on any given day in the gym. On top of that, add in the specific workout – the exercises, the format, the program – and any combination of these situations may cause you to slow down, or drop to a lighter weight for during your exercise.
It’s OK. It’s normal and honestly, it’s expected. Because you have to remember to step back and look at the trend. From one day to the next you may not see progression, just like one day to the next you can’t see a difference in the length of the hair on your head. But when you look at a picture of yourself from three months ago, you are suddenly shocked at how much your hair has grown.
And when you step back and look at the path you’ve created for yourself from where you started to where you are now, I bet you see a badass who has pushed the limits of what they once thought they weren’t capable of. Remember, every day is not going to be your best day. Celebrate the small and large wins as you achieve them. And the rest of the time, give yourself some grace and celebrate the fact that you are a living, breathing human being who showed up.
