I think one of the hardest things about getting healthier is that progress doesn't always look the way we expect it to.
We want the scale to go down. We want to lift heavier weights. We want our clothes to fit differently. We want to run faster or farther. We want to look in the mirror and immediately see that all the effort we're putting in is paying off.
And sometimes those things happen, but sometimes they don't. At least not right away.
I've had plenty of periods in my life where I was working hard and couldn't point to one obvious thing and say, “There it is. That's my progress.” And I know from working with clients that this can be one of the most frustrating parts of trying to make changes. You can be doing the things you said you were going to do, showing up consistently, making better choices, and still wonder whether any of it is actually working.
Progress isn't always something you can see.
When I was losing more than 60 pounds, the scale was obviously a pretty easy way to measure progress. I could see the number going down, my clothes were fitting differently, and other people could see the physical changes too.
But looking back, some of the most important progress I made had very little to do with the number on the scale.
I was learning how to eat more vegetables and protein. I was learning how to make choices without feeling like I was following some temporary diet. I was learning how to get back to my normal routine after a weekend that didn't go exactly as planned instead of deciding I'd blown it and would start again on Monday. I was learning how to make healthy choices part of my life instead of something I did until I reached a goal.
Those skills ended up being far more important for maintaining my weight loss than any single number on the scale.
And that is something I see with clients too. Sometimes the progress is happening in the way you think about food, how you respond when you miss a workout, or how quickly you get back into your routine after life gets in the way. Those changes might not show up in a before and after photo, but they can be some of the biggest changes you make.
Sometimes progress looks like doing something you couldn't do before.
When I started running back in 2009, I remember how hard those first few minutes of running felt. I started with Couch to 5K, and I can still remember how difficult a three minute running interval felt in those early workouts.
If you had told that version of me that I'd eventually run a marathon and a 50 mile race, I probably wouldn't have believed you.
But I didn't wake up one morning and suddenly become a distance runner.
I ran a little farther. Then a little farther again. I learned how to train. I had good runs and terrible runs. I had periods where I was improving and periods where I wasn't sure I was getting anywhere.
The progress was happening long before I had a marathon finish to point to.
And that's true with strength training too. Sometimes progress is adding five pounds to an exercise. Sometimes it's doing another repetition. Sometimes it's using better form. Sometimes it's realizing that an exercise that used to feel impossible now feels pretty manageable.
And sometimes progress is simply showing up for the workout you almost talked yourself out of doing.
Those things may not feel dramatic, but they add up.
Sometimes progress looks like doing less.
This is one I've had to learn in a very real way over the last year, and honestly, I haven't talked about it much on social media.
My running volume has been really low compared to what I've done in the past. And for someone who has run marathons and 50 mile races, that can feel a little strange. Training used to be a huge part of my life. It was where I could get lost in my thoughts, listen to a book, or just go out and run without thinking too much about anything else.
But after running 50 miles, I realized just how much of a toll that kind of mileage had taken on my body. I also started recognizing that my running form had some issues that I really needed to address. So instead of continuing to pile on miles because that's what I had always done, I made the decision to pull back and focus on fixing the underlying problems.
That meant going through a pretty intense treatment program, doing physical therapy exercises every day, and regularly getting running gait assessments so I can make sure I'm addressing the imbalances that contributed to those problems. My runs look very different now, too. Instead of getting lost in my thoughts or listening to a book, I'm often hyper focused on if my core is engaged and what my knees and hips are doing. I'm paying attention to my form in a way I never really had before.
And yes, there are days when I miss being able to just go run.
But reducing my mileage doesn't mean I'm moving backward. In fact, doing less running right now is part of moving forward. I'm investing in being able to run better and hopefully keep running for a long time, rather than simply chasing more miles because more miles used to be the goal.
That's a really important distinction because we often assume that if more exercise is good, then more must always be better. But sometimes doing more of something isn't what your body needs. Sometimes the best thing you can do is slow down, address the problem, build strength, work on your form, take a rest day, or temporarily change what you're doing so you can continue doing it for years to come.
I've had to learn that progress isn't always about adding more. Sometimes progress is knowing when to pull back.
Sometimes progress looks like how you respond when things don't go well.
This is another area where I have changed a lot over the years.
I used to be really good at turning one less than ideal choice into an entire bad day or even a bad week. I'd eat something I hadn't planned on eating and think, “Well, I already blew it,” and then decide I'd start over on Monday.
Now, if I have a crazy dinner, I enjoy the dinner and go back to my normal routine the next day. If I miss a couple of workouts, I don't decide that the entire week is ruined. One workout or meal doesn’t suddenly make you healthy, and the same goes in reverse. One “bad” meal or one missed workout doesn’t make you unhealthy.
That doesn't mean I never have days where things don't go according to plan. Of course I do. The difference is that I don't see an imperfect day as proof that I'm failing.
Being able to return to your routine without turning a detour into a complete derailment is progress.
And honestly, I think this is one of the most valuable skills you can develop when you're trying to make lasting changes. Your ability to recover from the days that don't go well matters just as much as what you do on the days when everything goes according to plan.
Don't overlook the things that have become normal.
Sometimes we are so focused on what we haven't accomplished yet that we completely overlook what used to feel difficult but is now just part of our normal life.
Maybe eating a high protein breakfast has become automatic. Maybe you don't order takeout as often because you have a few easy meals you actually like making at home. Maybe you take a walk after dinner without having to convince yourself to do it. Maybe you have a workout routine that doesn't require a huge burst of motivation every time you do it. Maybe you can enjoy dinner out without feeling like you've ruined your progress.
Those things may not feel exciting because they aren't new anymore. But that's actually the point.
When a healthy choice becomes part of your normal life, that's progress too.
The scale doesn't get to decide whether you're making progress.
If weight loss is one of your goals, the scale can absolutely be a useful tool. But it is still just one measurement, and it can't tell you everything that is happening.
I know this one from personal experience, too.
At one point, I got down to 175 pounds. At 5'11", that's a pretty lean weight for me, and for a while I was so proud of myself, the problem was that maintaining that weight wasn't really compatible with the life I wanted to live.
I was working out for endless hours and not eating a whole lot. I could maintain that number, but I didn't really have much of a life outside of trying to maintain that number. And eventually I had to be honest with myself about something that took me a long time to understand: my leanest weight wasn't necessarily my most sustainable weight.
That realization changed the way I think about progress.
Gaining some weight after reaching your lowest weight isn't automatically a sign that you've failed or that all of your hard work was for nothing. Sometimes it means you've moved toward a way of eating, exercising, and living that you can actually maintain. And if your goal is long-term health, being able to live your life matters.
I had to learn that there is a difference between reaching the lowest number you can get to and finding a place where you can live well.
The scale can't tell you that.
It can't tell you that you're stronger than you were six months ago. It can't tell you that you can walk farther without getting tired. It can't tell you that you finally feel comfortable in the gym. It can't tell you that you're eating more protein and fiber, sleeping better, or recovering better from your workouts.
And it certainly can't tell you that you handled a difficult weekend without falling into the old all or nothing cycle.
Even when weight loss is the goal, the scale won't always move at the pace you want. Sometimes it moves quickly. Sometimes it stalls. Sometimes your body changes in ways that aren't immediately reflected by the number you're looking at.
That doesn't automatically mean nothing is happening.
Give yourself time to see what you're building.
If you've been following along with this series, you'll notice a theme running through all of these posts.
You don't have to change everything at once. Healthy eating doesn't have to be complicated. Your workout doesn't have to be hard to count. And progress isn't always going to look like progress while you're in the middle of it.
A lot of the work happens in what I like to call the boring middle.
It's making the same breakfast again because you know it works for you. It's taking the 10 minute walk even though it doesn't feel like a big accomplishment. It's doing a 20 minute workout instead of skipping it because you don't have time for an hour. It's going to physical therapy and doing the exercises you're supposed to do even when you'd rather be running. It's getting back to your normal routine after a weekend that didn't go perfectly.
None of that is particularly exciting.
But it's the stuff that adds up.
So if you're frustrated because you don't feel like you're making enough progress, take a look beyond the obvious measurements. What can you do now that you couldn't do before? What feels easier? What choices have become more automatic? How are you handling setbacks differently? Are you listening to your body instead of constantly pushing through it? And perhaps most importantly, is the way you're living actually something you can sustain?
Progress doesn't have to be dramatic to be real.
Sometimes it's happening right in front of you. You just have to know where to look.
YOU GOT THIS!
