We all want the fast fix to our problems. I’m no stranger to it either, boo! Whether it’s weight loss, a fitness goal, a career move, relationship trouble, better skin, or pain relief, there is marketing everywhere for a product that will solve your problem in a short amount of time. Your best bet is to take a deep breath and ask yourself if you really think Ryan Gosling got those abs in three days?

I recently fell prey to the desire for a quick fix as I set a goal to achieve one pull-up by my 37th birthday in May. While reviewing research for my program, I was drawn right in to every 4 Week Pull-up master program in existance – and I know how the body works. While these programs most definitely get results and progress, when I didn’t get that one pull-up on May 31st, it was time to due my due diligence to find out what was going on.

Thankfully, the Tim Ferriss podcast with Christopher Sommers was lingering in my mind. In it, they discuss a gymnast who follows his programming so diligently that if he gets to a move or combination he can’t master, he goes all the way back to the beginning of the program and starts over. The idea here is that somewhere along the line, there is a missing link in the chain. So he buckles down, steps back and begins again. And get this, he keeps progressing and getting better.

It would be so easy for me to scrap my program, or worse yet, keep trying to push (or pull, heehee) and pummel my way through the trouble spots without any assesment.

So I write this today after taking time to care for a troubled shoulder I’ve been ignoring for years. It doesn’t hurt (with 100% certainty it will if I keep thrashing it about), but it doesn’t move in the same fluid fashion as the right. I visited my talented colleague, John Schaefer, for some exploratory massage therapy, went back to basics and lighter weights on my program and reset for the future. John, by the way, coaxes the muscles to let go, rather than trying to pummel them into submission. This makes sense, right? What we push and pummel most often resists or snaps right back! Life lesson, right here!

Will it take time? YES.

Will it be worth it? YES.

Will I arrive healthier than I am now? Without a doubt.

As we settle in to the second half of 2016, let’s do some honest assesments.

What problem are you trying to find a fast fix for right now?

Is it time to take pause and go back to the foundation?

Will you honor your health and give it back a smidge of what it gives you?

Tell me about your slow fix!

xoxo,
Katie

PS
Here’s the link to the incredible podcast. FULL of resonating bits.
http://fourhourworkweek.com/2016/05/09/the-secrets-of-gymnastic-strength-training/