I have a hard time connecting the hours I work to the paycheck I earn at the end of the month. It’s tempting to skip out & bail, but then I don’t get a great check! Fitness, I think, works in a similar way.

It’s difficult to connect the efforts of the short term to the results in the long term. Skipping a workout or downing a package of Oreos might seem tempting today, but will that help us reach our long term goals? 

Every action and choice we make bears fruit in some way. While one decision or indulgence might not make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things, it has some effect – even if we can’t see it.

I’m not arguing that we should never kick back, but that we should have faith that all of our efforts do matter. If we keep working, we will see results. There is no wasted workouts or pointless efforts in the long term. 

The key phrase here is long term, not short term. There’s quite a time daily between trying for what we want and actually achieving it. And when our results finally do come, they’re absolutely worth it.