Feature Article
The Long View
When it comes to personal improvement, time is of the essence! At least, it sure feels that way. Seems that all the fat-loss or
muscle-building (or both) programs out there are for 90 days or less...often much less. There's nothing inherently wrong with this, as long
as these short timeframes are stepping-stones on the way to a long-term goal. Otherwise, it's just a temporary fix in a potentially
Sisyphean effort.
Let's take fat-loss, for example. (And it really is fat-loss, not weight-loss. After all, if you just want to lose weight, hack off a limb or two.)
There's no shortage of "plans" to lose pounds of fat in 8 weeks, 30 days, 21 days, even 2 weeks. And it's certainly possible, although you'll lose
more than just fat (but hopefully not a limb). And it's easy to see why these kinds of things are enticing: after all, would you rather lose 20 pounds in
30 days or just one pound?
Of course, it's not so simple. If the 20-pound plan is unsustainable and the 1-pound plan is sustainable, then in the long run, the 1-pound plan is
the clear winner. But, as
John Maynard Keynes said, "In the long run
we are all dead." So how long of a run should we consider? Let's go with the handy dandy one year mark.
Now, the hypothetical 20-pound plan looks like a winner, beating the 12 pounds of accumulated fat loss from the 1-pound plan. But hold on there,
Leonhard Euler: what about the 11 months after the 20-pounds-in-30-days plan has
run its course? Well, if you go back to the pre-plan diet, your weight (and fat) will eventually return to the pre-plan level. After all, that's what
got it there. So after a year, the 20-pound plan may wind up not only behind the 1-pound plan, but in the red as more weight comes back on than was
lost. (Sound familiar?)
And the 20-pound plan is very aggressive for most people (depending on their current weight). The 1-pound plan is quite conservative, although there
is no way to ensure a linear progression from month to month. And that's a big reason it's not a popular approach: people want to see big changes
on the scale now! now! now! Oh sure, they might feel better, and clothes might fit better, but it's not enough, and certainly not fast enough. You'll
never get rich selling the "One Pound A Month Fat-Loss Plan."
It's not just fat-loss. If you offer a regular weightlifter a plan to improve his bench press by 30 pounds in a year, he'll almost certainly scoff and
continue pursuing the latest craze for raising his number 50 pounds in a month. Never mind that his bench press weight hasn't gone up in the past two
or three years (or more).
Taking the long view isn't always easy, especially when it comes to diet and exercise. Yet the idea of spending four years pursuing a degree to
improve one's mind--or earning potential--is routine. Maybe part of that is the forced segmentation of semesters and school years...a mandatory
goal structure of sorts.
In any case, next time you embark on a fat-loss or strength-gain program, ask yourself, "Where will this get me one year from now?" And in a year,
check to see how it worked out so you can evaluate and revise your strategy accordingly. Go ahead, give it a shot!
Be seeing you.
-gary
