Patience and behavior change.

Most people believe that to get in shape, you just have to get motivated, “tough it out” and after twelve weeks of hard training and strict dieting, you’ll get the body you want.

Most companies also market in a way that plays on people’s insecurity and encourages short-term thinking and impulsive behavior. It’s no wonder that motivational sayings like “pain is weakness leaving the body” or “never surrender” and all that vague, meaningless crap is so popular. When people buy or share stuff like that, what they’re really buying is a signal to themselves and others that they’re committed to change.

The problem is that you can’t buy change. You have to put in the work. The people who are willing to do that are also the ones that are least likely to talk about it, because they don’t need to show everyone else how committed they are.

The truth is that almost everything people want in regards to fitness – losing fat, gaining muscle, getting stronger, takes far longer than people realize.

In many cases, people don’t even know what they want, and they think getting leaner will somehow make them happy and fix other problems in their life. It doesn’t.

To get in shape and stay in shape, you have to start with whatever changes you can manage consistently, and then build on those over time. That takes patience, and courage, and the kind of commitment you can’t get from wearing a new motivational tank top or starting a new diet.