I’m often asked questions that begin with some variation of the following six words: “How long will it take to…?”
While I’d love to be able to offer accurate and definitive answers, there are two reasons why doing so is difficult.
It always depends
Just about any non-trivial outcome added to the end of that question will be affected by numerous factors.
How long will it take to:
… lose x pounds of fat or gain y amount of strength and/or muscle? That depends on your training background, current body composition and amount of lean tissue (e.g. muscle, organs, bone), adherence to an effective training and nutrition plan, quantity and quality of sleep, and stress level.
… develop a certain skill? That depends on your training background and current ability with similar skills, level of desired mastery (e.g. beginner, intermediate, expert), availability to practice, and intentionality and willingness to struggle.
… lose current progress if switching to a different program or being unable to train? That depends on the age and degree of your current capabilities (older, more engrained strength, endurance, or mobility takes longer to disappear than fresh/beginner “gains”), the structure of the new program, your daily activity levels, nutrition plan, and sleep and stress.
Using any of the above examples, I’ve met and worked with individuals who experienced significant progress quickly because many of the contributing factors “fell into line” together. And I’ve also met individuals who struggled to experience progress for the opposite reason, plus plenty of others who landed between the two extremes.
In other words, how long a specific outcome might take to occur ultimately depends on what each individual is willing and able to bring to the endeavor. Which is a good thing from your perspective—it means that many factors that affect your results are mostly under your control—but a challenge from mine.
It also leads to the second reason I’m not fond of answering “how long will it take” questions…
It misses the point
Now I’m not suggesting that goals aren’t important or that timeframes are irrelevant. (If you’re new to receiving these tips or simply want a review, here’s a recent one about goals. It also has plenty of links to previous goal-related tips.)
However, a more important question exists than how long it might take to achieve a specific goal: How long can I maintain my progress after I achieve it?
Because in most cases of general fitness progress (i.e. weight management, strength, endurance, mobility), how long it takes to get where we’re going matters little if shortly thereafter we backslide to where we began.
The primary distinction between the two questions is where they direct our attention.
When we ask, “How long will it take to achieve my goal?”, we’re focused on the outcome. While that is important to consider, it can easily lead to taking extreme measures (and shortcuts) in order to achieve what we want in a shorter timeframe.
The problem is that extreme measures and shortcuts are rarely sustainable. Which means that we often revert to our past habits after we achieve our goal and subsequently lose the motivation that it provided.
When we ask, by contrast, “How long can I maintain my progress after I achieve my goal?”, we focus more on the processes that lead to said achievement. Of course, focusing on the process not only produces the results we’re after but also tends to promote the development of long-term habits which sustain that progress.
As an additional benefit, if you’re not making progress toward your goal, focusing on the process provides plenty of data that can provide insight into what is or isn’t working. And that insight can be used to move in a different and hopefully more effective direction.
Putting it into practice
Spend a few minutes reviewing your current fitness (or any other type of) goals. What questions have you been asking yourself in relation to those goals?
Are you playing and enjoying the process of working toward them? Or does the stuff you’re doing feel like monotonous work that you just want to be over as quickly as possible?
If it’s the former, then carry on. You’re probably closer than you imagine!
If it’s the latter, consider how you might adjust one or some of your current processes to be a bit more sustainable—and perhaps a bit more fun. I’ll bet that you’ll be surprised at the effect such a simple change can make.