#2: Expecting To See Results Right Away

Have you been exercising for three straight weeks, yet that extra weight hasn’t budged? Even if your body looks no different than when you were choosing couch time over gym time, don’t throw in the towel. “Adaptations to the body take time,” says Clayton. “The perfectly sculpted guns and buns that you see all over the gym took weeks if not months of training to achieve, but many new exercisers expect immediate results.”

Success strategy: Just because you can’t see any visible changes yet, doesn’t mean your body isn’t changing. Instead of focusing on immediate visible gratification, focus on how you feel instead to stay motivated. Chances are you’ll start to feel better, have more energy, and slowly start to feel less winded and stronger before you’ll actually see your scale weight or dress size drop. “The truth is change takes time, so patience is key,” says Clayton. Most experts agree that it can take 6 weeks (or more) to begin to see changes in how you look.

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• • diet and fitness,
  • healthy eating,
  • healthy living