Many people see the new year as the ideal time to start toning up and losing the extra pounds gained from Christmas festivities.
Personal trainer Shannon Collins, who is known on Instagram as The Gym Nurse, is not shy about sharing health and fitness tips on social media. However, she recently felt compelled to caution her followers about new year fitness routines.
While acknowledging the advantages of adopting healthier habits in January, she emphasised that weight loss is a gradual process. According to the dedicated mother, significant modifications to daily habits are necessary to notice changes in your physique.
In a candid post, Shannon noted: “Whether you want to believe it or not, you didn’t end up with 20+ lbs of fat gain overnight. It has been a consistent pattern of being in a surplus over several months/years.”
The mum now looks totally different
(Image: thegymnurse/Instagram)
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She added: “It takes consistently doing something (positive or negative) for the effects to surface. You didn’t gain all your fat eating in a surplus for a week, just like a week of working out and eating in a calorie deficit doesn’t give you your dream body.
“This should be reassuring because can you imagine if having one off day truly made you gain fat overnight? That wouldn’t be great. Our bodies are not that sensitive thankfully, but this does mean when we have a goal to lose fat we can’t really expect a different timeline.”
She reflected on the saying “Don’t walk ten miles into a forest and expect to come out in five” while discussing fitness. You don’t gain loads of weight in a matter of weeks, so you shouldn’t expect to lose it that quickly either.
Hard work and dedication has got Shannon where she is
(Image: thegymnurse/Instagram)
Shannon reassured that if weight loss takes time, it shouldn’t be seen as an indication of a flaw. Rapid change is unlikely so sometimes people need to adjust their expectations. “The only thing wrong with you is your expectations don’t match reality,” she continued, urging patience and consistency.
Her insightful post has since garnered hundreds of likes, with numerous people chiming in to share their personal experiences with fitness challenges. One recounted: “It took me almost two years, three to five days a week training and mindful eating to lose 50lbs and gain some muscle.”
Another advised embracing the journey, commenting: “Sooner you accept it takes years the faster those results come! People get stuck on quick fixes but end up stuck for a lifetime.”
A third also added: “Definitely need to manage expectations on how long it’s going to take!”