Does the vicious cycle begin again today?
The five pounds you lost before Thanksgiving sneaked back while you were celebrating the holidays. Feeling like for the last several weeks you’ve been off the rails, you promise yourself that today you will get back on track.
All you need is a jump start. No sugar, no dairy, no bread…less, less, less. You can do without them and you can do it perfectly. Yes, this January will be different. This January you will stick to the diet.
There is that word…PERFECTLY. Such a loaded word. It seems like doing something perfectly should be the goal. Yet perfect is really the problem.
Trying to stick to any regime PERFECTLY is leaning in to and falling victim to all or nothing thinking. Think about it. How does it really feel when you’re doing your “diet” perfectly? Do you feel restricted or deprived? Do you feel lethargic or hangry? Maybe slightly obsessive? Honestly…doesn’t it feel just a little bit miserable?
How does it feel when you do something that isn’t part of the perfect plan? Is that when you say “what the hell” and grab the last donut from the break room? Do just keep hitting snooze after missing one workout because what’s the point now that your streak is over?
Not only is perfection the wrong goal, it’s a lie. Perfection doesn’t exist. And pursuing it will always come at a price. The pursuit of perfection will rob you of your joy, peace of mind and possibly your health.
It’s time to stop dieting – forever. Yes, this January WILL be different. This is the year you will let go of the diet mentality. To start 2018, I want to pose a question to you to help re-frame your goals and set your fitness journey on a different course.
Do you want to be perfect or do you want to be healthy?
While perfect is often about LESS, healthy is about MORE. Healthy is an investment in you that is built to last. Healthy is like compounding interest. Perfection is a quick but risky payoff, giving 100% for the 30 days with a risk you might lose it all by day 45. Healthy is 1% better, compounded each day so that it can equal 1000% better years to come. It’s a delayed payoff that is safer, livable and manageable.
What will it be for you…perfect or healthy?
Healthy is finding your middle ground, focusing on what you can do and not what you can’t.
Healthy means there is no “track” to be on or off. There is just today and the next opportunity to make a different choice.
Healthy is saying good enough.
Healthy is knowing that there is a time and place for everything AND pausing to ask “is THIS the time and place?”.
Let’s start this year differently. Let go of the diet mentality. You deserve to be healthy and happy, today and everyday.
