Progress Over Perfection: The Correct Mindset for Sustainable Fitness
Ever missed a planned workout and feel like a failure after? Or ate a unplanned ‘cheat meal’ only to feel utterly guilty for the rest of the day? Maybe even looked at instagram models and compare yourself with them, believing that you’re not doing enough?
Well, you’re not alone. In fact, many people view training and nutrition in this manner. They think that everything has to be perfect in order to be successful in losing weight or gaining muscle. But the truth is quite the opposite. Expecting things to go flawless can actually get in the way of accomplishing your goals. It can take the joy away from working out. It can make dieting so painful. It can make the whole fitness journey extremely stressful. More importantly, it can make you feel guilty when you’ve actually done absolutely nothing wrong.
Fortunately, there is a much better way to think of fitness. That is choosing progress over perfection. Instead of leaving you guilt-ridden, progress can inspire, excite, and sustain the way you eat and train. You’ll feel happier because there is more to celebrate and enjoy. And in this article, we will look at some ways to focus on progress instead of perfection.
Surround Yourself with Right People
The people you surround yourself with will be the biggest influence on your (fitness) life.
According to research, the people you habitually associate yourself with can determine as much as 95% of your success or failure in life. We are actually way more affected by our environment than we think. In the words of motivational speaker Jim Rohn: You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. These people affect what sorts of conversations you participate in, what lifestyle you follow, and your attitude and behavior about certain issues. Eventually, you start to think, behave and make decisions like them.
Therefore, it is important to hang out with the right people for healthy personal growth.
Check out these tips / practical steps you can take to improve your social environment and better achieve your goals!
6 Tips on Staying Motivated
You know exercise and nutrition are good for you. It controls your weight, reduces risks of diseases, and improves your mental health and mood.
Doing it though, is another thing. In particular, overcoming the inertia to get started can be a huge first step.
But sticking to a workout and nutrition program is even harder. It takes deep, lasting, dedication, consistency and motivation. That’s why more than a third of the world’s population is overweight.
Furthermore, many think that exercise and nutrition have to be torturous, time-consuming and/or exhausting, therefore avoiding it.
Not having the right motivation coupled with the negative views of exercise and nutrition have caused millions of people to start a program only to quit halfway.
In this article, I’ll be sharing on some tips that can help you to stay motivated.
Do you Need to Give 100% to Achieve your Fitness Goals?
“All or nothing! Give your 100% in whatever you do! Reach for the skies!” These are some quotes that many people live by. You have to go all in if you want something. You have to push yourself to the hardest to get results. You have to aim for the highest if not there’s no point even trying. Or at least really close. Sometimes it isn’t distinct in the way that people verbalize it, but it is implicit in the way they discuss it.
It seems like that’s the hype now. And I can see why. I used to feel that way too. If I want to achieve something, in this case to build muscle and lose fat, I should make sure I am doing every single thing right. If I’m serious about my fitness results, I should clock the optimum number of workouts, eat the exact number of calories, protein, fat and carbs, wake up and sleep at the same time every day, and adhere to all the things I set myself out to do. And if I don’t, I’m just not maximizing what I can do and it’ll be a huge waste.
But is this really true? Do you need to give your 100% to achieve your fitness goals? If not, how much is enough? Read on to find out more!