Pep Talk
On of the biggest obstructions to sticking to our goals is "chasing perfection." We set up the perfect plan in our heads -- the perfect workout schedule, the perfect meal plan, everything going 100% the way we want it.And what notoriously happens? Some hiccup comes up and sabotages all of our "perfect" plans. So what do we do? Get entirely derailed because this week was blown apart, go off plan entirely, and then start again tomorrow/next week/next month (or who knows when else).
Let's face it. Life is not perfect. There will always be times when things cannot and will not go the way we'd like. Therefore, setting yourself up for "perfection" is essentially setting yourself up for failure. The most successful plans include flexibility.
Here are some tips for redirecting your plan when you can't be "perfect":
- Develop a Plan B -- we talked about this in a previous post, but it's important to remember that doing SOMETHING is always better than doing NOTHING. Your Plan B might not be an ideal workout or meal, but it's still better than letting everything fall apart.
- Accept that perfection will never happen -- this is the biggest obstacle, but an important one. If you know going in that things will get into your way, you will not freak out and go unhinged when your plan goes awry.
- Build imperfection into your plan -- this goes back to the 80/20 philosophy. If you know you are going to party, plan to eat what you want and have fun, but also plan how you will get back on track. Will you do a workout first thing the next day? Start the day off with a bowl of oatmeal and blueberries? Even though we often can't control the craziness of life, we CAN control how we react and adapt accordingly.
Challenge Workout
Complete 5 rounds of the following exercises, taking breaks as needed:- 30 seconds Jump Squats
- 30 seconds Crunches
- 30 seconds Plank
