I had a great talk with a client who was doing a fantastic job on daily workouts and their nutrition. Everything was perfect. Until life dropped a couple bombs. They didn't workout in weeks and dove head first into piles of processed foods and sugars. All while feeling horrible, guilty, stressed and struggling to get through the weeks.
What was our conclusion?
It's done - you can't go back and do the workouts. You can't take back the poor nutrition choices. Forget that, its over. We're moving on. All we can do is get back to the way we were - with one minor change. We are going to stop trying to be perfect. Cut that crap out. You're not perfect, I'm not perfect, your neighbour is not perfect. Beyonce herself, is not perfect (craziness, right?).
Life is not perfect. So lets stop trying to make our exercise and nutritional habits that way. We're setting ourselves up for failure. We need to set healthy lifestyle habits that work for us and our lifestyles. Ones that hold longevity in our lives.
80%, 100% OF THE TIME.
I like to follow the 80%, 100% of the time. Allow room in your life for those setbacks - they're going to happen. We all know they do.
Life never goes as planned, but you can plan for when chaos strikes. I've learned many times that when a storm strikes - it can really strike, and then strike some more. But you know what? Just like every storm in nature, the storms that cause the life battles, will too, settle down. The sun doesn't shine everyday for us and it won't for our health regimes either.
Moderation is key.
Allow moderation in your life. I was first really introduced to this strategy by Jill Coleman. When we allow ourselves lenience in health regimes, we are less likely to dive into the dark places when stress hits.
Eat the foods that make you feel amazing. Do workouts that make you feel strong. Allow the foods in every now and then that give you some enjoyment. Don't set yourself up for a roller coaster of “on/off the wagon” with a side of guilt.
Guilt is a feeling, responsibility or remorse for some offence, crime or wrong, whether real or imagined.That sounds awful. So lets quit that. When you want to have a treat every now and then, don’t stress about it.
Enjoy that little treat now and then. Ain’t nothing wrong with that. Guilt is a shitty feeling and just don't allow that into your way of thinking. You deserve better.
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