At the beginning of this year, I made a loud and confident declaration to everyone around me that I would finally get rid of my fat belly and return to the flat abs I had all those years ago.

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I was gently warned. At the gym I visited, soft-spoken sports-fitness specialist Dr. Ruchira Tendolkar tried to temper my expectations. “It will take time,” he said.

I was telling him about the literature I was reading, the new tricks I was discovering, and the ambitious goals I was setting for myself.

In other words, I was quoting the self-sufficient industrial complex; It’s a multi-million dollar industry based on the idea that all one needs to achieve a goal is willpower and a multi-step program.

From books to vlogs, Reels and videos, every element of this industry is “See? It’s that simple. You can do it too!”

Spoiler alert: No, I couldn’t. My slowed metabolism is just a medical fact. Willpower cannot change this. I went to war with this reality while pursuing the goal I set for myself. I changed my diet, added supplements, and meticulously followed a grueling exercise program even as my body and mind begged for a break.

The more I tried to “hack” my body, the less cooperative it became. It was as if my metabolism had developed a rebellious tendency.

I went from determination to frustration to amusement. The body doesn’t care how many motivational quotes you consume and your abs are not visible because you have visualized them enough.

I began to admit to myself what I thought we all knew deep down. These fitness influencers actually appeal to a pretty small demographic: people with a certain default fitness level at a certain stage in their lives. On a slightly tangential note, I wish they’d acknowledged this so their relentless positivity wouldn’t feel like a mockery of the audience’s ongoing struggle.

For myself, I’m willing to accept that my fitness journey will be less like a race and more like a long, slow walk where the destination is constantly out of sight, but at least someone is on the right path.

I will happily admit that Dr Tendolkar is right. It takes time. There is nothing that can be done to change this – at least nothing that is healthy or sustainable.

There’s something liberating about finally giving up the obsessive pursuit of a six-pack.

Now I can enjoy the process of getting fitter. My workouts stopped being a mad dash towards an unrealistic goal and became something I looked forward to. I love that my body feels stronger and more capable, even if those abs are still out of action.

Maybe that was the lesson I needed: Even in the age of artificial intelligence, some things take time. So not everything is under my control.

Sometimes the best hack is to stop hacking and slow down; I appreciate the journey. Time is a gift in itself. Why should we fill every minute with tasks and expectations when we can enjoy it?

Something about passing 50 makes me see that the trick isn’t to “win the race.” In fact, this means constantly stopping the competition.

(Charles Assisi is the co-founder of Founding Fuel. He can be reached at [email protected])