All Or Nothing Never Works

By Trish Deboni- Personal Trainer

It’s all or nothing.

We don’t really think it out and make a conscious decision to sabotage ourselves, but we sure are good at it. I’d even say we’re experts. 

We are going to start fresh, going to start on Monday, going to give up sugar, going to give up carbs, going to………..It’s all the best intentions, right? 

What if we decided we weren’t going to spend one more day treating ourselves like this? What if we learned to simply take great care of ourselves? What if we let go of the ‘all or nothing’ mentality? 

When we expect perfection, we can pretty much guarantee failure. There is no such thing as perfection. We are never going to get there. That should actually be a relief. You don’t have to work toward perfection. Great news. You can spend your time being the best version of yourself instead. The best version of you is exactly who you are supposed to be. Ok, that  sounds great in theory. Now let’s make it tangible. 

I would love it if you didn’t think of food as a reward or a punishment. It’s food. We need it to survive and we need good food to be able to function properly and feel great. Now I am not one of those people who is going to tell you to simply think of food as fuel. I’m a foodie. I get it. I love food. I love to cook, bake, and go to great restaurants. But what if we thought of food as something to be relished and enjoyed in moderation. What if we actually SLOWED DOWN and appreciated the colors, flavors, and even the people we are eating with? And, it is fuel. What we decide to put in our body has a direct effect on our mood, our energy, our health, and so much more. There doesn’t have to be a bunch of rules and strict dieting. It’s hard to stick to such a regimen. There simply has to be a conscious effort to eat the best you can most of the time. And be forgiving of yourself and move on when things don’t go exactly as planned. 

I would also love it if you didn’t think of working out as a way to make up for not eating the way you wished you had. Working out is a privilege. Getting stronger is the goal. Having a healthy, strong, capable body should be the ultimate goal. One of my very favorite things is watching someone in class be able to master a move that they never thought they would be able to do. That is so much more rewarding then just the numbers on a scale. What if working out became something you got to do instead of something you had to do? What if you started to seek out ways to work out doing things you love? Working out is tough, don’t get me wrong. But when you are doing something you enjoy, and getting stronger and leaner doing it, suddenly you forget how hard you are working. And if you miss a day or two, or don’t work out on a trip, or don’t get the workout you thought you would, move on. Pick up and start moving as soon as you can. 

So let’s forget about ‘all or nothing’. Let’s live happily somewhere in between. Let’s treat our bodies with love and respect. Don’t set expectations that are completely unrealistic. Set boundaries and goals that keep you moving in a positive direction.

Use that inner monologue to tell yourself you’re doing your best. And that’s exactly what you should be doing.