Break Out of Your Either/Or Mindset
You don’t have to think about being fit and healthy as an either/or proposition.
Social media makes us think that some people have it all together. They look amazing, work out 24/7, eat perfectly at every meal, and everything is just great for them.
That isn’t reality. Even worse, that image is harmful to everyone. No one is 100% consistent. No one has a perfect record of success. Everyone has setbacks and frustrations, seen or (most likely) unseen.
Here’s a scenario you may have experienced: You set out to work out several times a week. 2 times, 5 times, doesn’t matter. You do well for a few weeks, then life happens. You skip the gym once and then think, “well, I missed my first workout this week, I’ll try to catch up.” Of course, catching up doesn’t often happen, even for the best of us. Once you’ve missed a week or two of workouts, it’s much harder to get back into your old routine. Then, when you can’t get your 5 workouts, you wonder “what’s the point?” and stop going to the gym at all. You tell yourself “I don’t have time” or “I’m not cut out for this.”
Sound familiar? It happens to EVERYONE, myself included. I have recurring pain in my hip and shoulder, and sometimes can’t work out exactly how I want. It’s tempting to just throw in the towel, even though I practically live in the gym. I don’t have it all together.
Here’s the good news – a simple mindset shift can solve the “either/or” problem pretty quickly.
Instead of thinking “either/or,” you can think “good/better/best.” One workout is better than none. Two are better than one. Can’t make it to the gym at all? Do 10 minutes of activity sometime during the day. You get the idea. You didn’t do exactly what you set out to do? That’s ok, it’s just data suggesting that you should adjust your initial goal. You’re still doing well as long as you don’t give up. Change the goalpost.
You have to start where you are, not where you THINK you should be. This will take some honest self-reflection and it may be painful. That’s ok. It’s normal to have to experiment and adjust goals.
An easy way to start is to set out basic “minimums” for yourself. Set these so that you can’t possibly fail. 10 minutes of stretching when you wake up, a walk at lunch, 2 bottles of water daily. Something like that. You should be 100% certain you’re ready, willing, and able to accomplish this.
When life derails you, which it will, come back to your minimums. As long as you’re meeting those, you’re good! If you aren’t, adjust the minimums so you CAN meet them.
Next, you can make a good/better/best scale. “Best” is your most aggressive goal, but it still should be something you’re sure you can do. “Better” is a good second option, and “good” is your minimum. Every single day you meet your minimum, you’re moving toward your goal.
Check out these posts for more help setting goals that are achievable and sustainable.
If you’re looking for a fitness trainer in the Mt Juliet/Hermitage/Nashville TN area, online fitness training, or just need some advice to get your fitness program started, contact me