Why You Don't Shake Hands With Toddlers

by Kris Pitcher

There's a reason toddlers always have their hands in their pants. It's not because they have to go to the bathroom. It's not because it's scratchy. It's because it feels good. Cue. Crickets.

Stay with me here. From a very early age, we want instant gratification. Let's face it, having our hands in our pants is gratifying.

Now...we can't go around like this for very long. And we learn rather quickly that this isn't acceptable behavior. You know that's not acceptable right?

We want things right now. I don't mean fast. I mean lightning fast. Faster than fast. We want things "hands in your pants fast". But that's not how the world works. We have to work for things, and things take time.

Progress toward our goals takes time. Getting rid of that last bit of stubborn fat on our hips/belly/thighs/butt etc. takes time...a long time. We have to stay committed to the process. It's anything but instant.

Our strength doesn't just magically increase like a super hero. I can't leg press 450 today and then 630 next week. It takes a little longer to make that kind of increase. Intrinsically we know this, yet we get frustrated when things aren't happening fast.

We're going to keep doing this for a long time. We don't get to a point where we hit a goal and just quit. Say it with me Blissers: we only have to do weight management as long as we want it to work.

We're getting good at that. Instant gratification isn't possible for most aspects of our lives, especially for our health and fitness goals. Keeping this in mind will keep frustration at bay. And that my friends, is why you don't shake hands with toddlers.