Many of us wait for the “perfect time” with our health, nutrition, and fitness. But this all-or-nothing thinking-as in, “If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s awful!”-rarely gets us “all.” It usually gets us “nothing.”
Are you waiting for the “perfect time: to start eating better, or exercising, or finally getting in shape?
When I get a different job
When things are less busy
When I find a workout partner
When I find the right equipment
When I feel less awkward in the gym
When I lose 20 lbs
When my fridge is full of the right foods
Tomorrow. Next week. Never
For many, it’s a great distraction and justification. It helps us avoid the real-and-risky work of doing.
For others, perfectionism and avoidance serve as strong armor against potential embarrassment, criticism, and failure.
Unfortunately, it’s also what keeps us from growing, thriving, and being who we know we have the potential to be.
That’s why all-or-nothing thinking-If I don’t do this perfectly then it’s worthless-rarely gets us “all.”
There is no perfect time. There never will be.
Just so you know, nobody is going to give you any moments. You must take moments. Hunt them, chase them. Make them happen.
Everyone else has enough time. Enough money. Enough motivation. Enough information. But it is this way. For everyone. That perfect moment is now. Just start. At the beginning.
Moments will keep moving, as moments do. One moment will stack on top of another and before you know it, you’ll have arrived at your destination. “But I can’t! I can’t get started! If you can’t get started, you’re just jumping too far ahead. You’re not starting with starting. You are trying to start somewhere in the middle.
Starting means initiating action. Starting means committing to a choice of some kind or another. Starting is when you put one foot and put it in front of the other, not when you debate which road to take or wonder if you should have worn different shoes.
Push through. Embrace resistance.
Many people who are just starting out assume that because they feel resistance, they have failed. That because broccoli tastes bitter when they first try it, and because they accidentally overcook it, they can’t eat vegetables. That because they forget the printed list of exercises on the kitchen table, they can’t work out.
That’s just how it feels sometimes. I feel this MOST OF THE TIME!
Get support.
Someone who can call us on our procrastination and perfection. On our information-cruising and waffling. Someone who can snap us out of our all-or-nothing trance with a gentle nudge and reminder.
Revise your expectations.
Carve out time, even if it’s imperfect. - nobody will give that time to you. You’ll need to take it. Find the time you need in your schedule. Don’t expect things to go perfectly smoothly: What’s likely to get in the way of what I hope to accomplish? What is something I can do today to help me keep going when I face those obstacles?
Just start. - If you feel stuck, find the smallest possible thing you can do right now, in the next 5 minutes, and do it. Now you’ve started!
Expect resistance.
Get support. Start building your support systems.
With just a few small, easy, hopefully imperceptible changes to one’s diet and exercise routine, you too can have shredded abs, big biceps, and tight glutes, just like a magazine cover model.
Need support? I’m here to develop plans and accountability and help you finally get results! Text me at 608-291-4448!
Keep Moving Forward 😊 Sarah
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