The Tribune

Health coach Ethan Quant, of Elite Wellness Solutions, has succeeded in his weight loss journey and now wants to share his methods with the Bahamas in an effort to foster a culture of wellness and conquer the obesity epidemic.

We hear all the time that patience is a virtue. But the truth is that when you want to lose weight patience is one of the hardest things to practice. I know that this is something I struggled with for a long time when I started on my health, wellness and fitness journey.

I think it was difficult, in part, because we live in a “microwave society”, where there is a need for things to happen instantly. With technological advancements increasing the ease of access, the idea of having to wait for anything is dreaded. However, while this may hold true for things like internet speed, faster is not always better. This is perhaps nowhere more realised than in the context of health, wellness and fitness.

I know that I am not alone because a lot of my clients often start out asking how long it will take to see results. All I can do in that regard is encourage them to be mindful that most things in life that are worthwhile require us to go through a process. You, too, may wonder the same: “How long will it take to achieve my dream body and be on a path to feeling healthy again?” I know. I’ve been there.

That being said, let us home in on the results you may experience if you were to begin your lifestyle change today.

From the moment you go for your first walk, skip an unhealthy snack or calorie-filled dessert after dinner, you are on your way to achieving a potentially positive result. Whether it’s a pound off the scale the next time you check your weight, or just a feeling that you are making positive steps toward real change, every little bit counts.

One of the things I remember when I was frustrated and talking to a friend about how slow my progress had been was being urged to be patient. He reminded me that I didn’t put on the weight overnight, or even over a couple of weeks. The fact is that it was years of self-neglect and unhealthy living that got me to my max weight of 306 pounds. The realisation that it would take me months (or even years) to not only lose the weight, but transform my body, was a hard pill to swallow.

A major game changer for me was when I finally decided that I would do whatever it took, however long it took, to achieve my dream body. A major driver for me was that I actually wanted to be healthy and fit. Therefore, I was willing to make the sacrifices necessary to reach my goals. During this process, I learned that just like anything else in life, building something great can take a lot of time and patience. Think about it: even if you were born with a natural ability in sports or the arts, you have to spend many hours practicing and perfecting your craft if you want to be great.

It was that approach which changed my perspective on how I looked at health, wellness and fitness. I allowed myself to become stronger by trusting the process and focusing on doing the things that healthy and fit people did. Thus, I began eating right and stopped abusing my body by partying. Additionally, as working out became a priority, so did getting adequate rest.

I learned to be patient with myself as I went through my process. However, this didn’t mean that I wasn’t constantly working. In fact, that was quite the contrary, as I realised that weight loss and the six-pack I desired were byproducts of me changing my lifestyle. Consequently, I knew if I maintained a daily focus on doing the little things necessary for me to achieve my goal that eventually I would be successful in my transformation.

Certainly, I know how hard it can be when you want results now. However, if you focus on your daily routine, not only will you get the results you want, but you will be able to sustain them over the long run.

As always, if you need help navigating any aspect of your health, wellness and fitness journey, feel free to reach out to me directly. And remember, at the end of the day, you have the power to be successful in health, fitness and in life!

• If you need help navigating any part of your health, wellness and fitness process, you can contact Ethan Quant at ethan@elite-wellnesssolutions.com or on Instagram at @ethanquant.