Last week, I shared how WE, (me included) as women, can feel we have to be perfect to be “good” enough.   Then when perfection is not acccomplished, feelings of failure, guilt, and insecurity can happen.  One of the areas that can be a struggle is the desire to be Healthy and Fit.  There is the mindset that if you are going to be healthy and fit, you must have a perfect diet and exercise program all of the time.

I have seen and worked with many women to create a fitness and food design who feel they must look, exercise, and eat perfectly 100% of the time.  Then when they feel they “slip up”—they quickly give up. It is an ‘all or nothing’ attitude but it is important to remember three things:

• Failure teaches how to train, prepare, or eat differently the next time.  Have you ever said, “I blew it, so what is the use?” Instead of giving up, stop and assess how you might do things differently the next time. That would be progress. Learning how to manage food is a process.
• If you feel the need to ALWAYS do it perfectly, you may miss out on a memory. Being so consumed with diet and exercise may keep you from enjoying those special times for an occasional ice cream with a child. Skipping YOUR workout to go for a light walk with a girlfriend may be more important that day for you emotional well-being than your physical well-being.

• It does not have to be perfect to be healthy.  Have you ever said, “I only have 20 minutes today and can’t go to the gym, why bother with exercise?”  What could you do in 20 minutes? Some of my best workouts have been in my living room when short on time.

What about feeling like you can’t cook everything fresh or “organic” so you opt to eat out?  Do you really believe it would be better to eat out than make a semi-homemade meal at home?  And who said EVERYTHING had to ALWAYS be FRESH and organic?

Quitting when you think you have not lost enough weight, or your workouts and diet are less than perfect is failure. Picking yourself back after a “slip up,” learning from it, and staying consistent will give you results. It is about BALANCE.  Striving to have a perfect diet and exercise program all of the time only leads to frustration.

In Good Health,

Crystal