Leading Activities Produce Lagging Results

By: Michael Beiter

Yesterday, I was talking to a client who lives down south.

He celebrated his largest weight loss month, 14 lbs in January, a half-pound daily average.

The best part about our conversation was how he tied our work on his health to his career.

He's in a leading role with his company that includes management duties. As he trains his co-workers, he constantly reiterates what his CEO says: leading activities produce lagging results.

Given his best weight loss month, I asked him what leading activities produced the lagging result of weight loss. I watched the connection spark in his eyes, and he started pouring out the differences from this month to the last thirty or so.

"I tracked 80% of my meals, worked out 12 times, and discovered that my favorite workout was the 45 minutes of stretching. I felt amazing afterward!"

Months back, I wrote about this client, realizing the longest he'd gone without alcohol since high school was a week.

In January, he went dry for two weeks, and when he was out with clients for business or socializing, he had one or two drinks rather than three to seven.

He continued, "I felt proud of myself for choosing white fish and veggies while limiting my drinks when eating out. I didn't realize how much I was eating before until I started constantly logging my food. I always ordered a prime rib with a fatty side and several drinks to wash it down. The mornings after I eat well and drink less, I feel like a new man."

Leading activities produce lagging results.