Mowing grass is instantly gratifying. It only takes a second for the obnoxiously too tall grass in front of my mower to reappear out of the back evenly cut and perfectly short.

That’s INSTANT GRATIFICATION!

What if it worked a bit differently? What if in the spring when I finally got around to cutting my grass it looked no different than when I started? In other words, it looked like I still needed to cut it.

What if that happened every week for the entire summer? It didn’t get any taller, but it never looked any shorter from one week to the next. That would be very discouraging. In fact, I would hate cutting my grass even though it actually was getting a teeny bit shorter every time I mowed. I just couldn’t see it.

Because I want instant gratification, I might even stop cutting my grass. Why bother? Nothing is changing.

Except it was. I just couldn’t see it. But, since I stopped mowing, the grass would start growing again. Finally, out of frustration, I’d start my mower and try again expecting instant results this time. Instead, all I got was a mower that kept stalling out because the grass was too tall.

Are you still with me? There’s a point to this lawn fable. One more chapter…

What if I didn’t give up and kept mowing every week? Even though it felt like nothing was changing, I knew that every time I mowed the grass was getting a little shorter. Eventually it would be just the way I like it and it would stay that way as long as I kept mowing every week.

But, now mowing my grass is easier and it looks great all the time…not just for a day or two.

Here’s the point of my little lawn fable.

Research continues to confirm a direct link between exercise and better health. Regular physical activity can help prevent or manage health issues like a heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, depression and many types of cancer.

And, these health issues will impact your quality of life…for good or bad.

One of the most adult things we can do is embrace delayed gratification. This is hard…even for adults. When I mow the grass I want to see instant results. I don’t want to wait a year or two before my lawn looks great.

Sadly, this is how many of us approach exercise, fitness, and health. We want noticeable results fast! But, this is not how the human body works.

If you’re on a fitness journey don’t be discouraged if you’re not seeing or feeling any results yet. That doesn’t mean things aren’t changing.

Every day you engage in fitness is a micro-investment in your health. You may not feel it now, but one day you will reap the rewards of the investment you are making today!

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY

If you don’t have a daily step goal, I want to challenge you to give it a try and create a fitness habit. I call it The 30 Day Fitness Challenge. This free guide will walk you through how to get started. It’s very easy.

If you don’t have a Fitbit I recommend the Fitbit Inspire HR. This is the Fitbit I use to track my 20,000 steps a day. The Inspire HR also tracks your heart rate and sleep so you get an even wider picture of your fitness progress.

(By the way…if you use the links in this article to make a purchase this blog will receive a small commission. It won’t add anything to what you pay, but letting you know is the right thing to do)

This blog is designed to help you embrace walking as a fitness activity. It’s sustainable, flexible, effective, and fun. Every week I post new articles with stories and helpful suggestions to Win at Fitness.

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