ALL OR NOTHING

THE ALL OR NOTHING APPROACH

We've just reached the beginning of February, which means the first month of 2021 is done and dusted.

Did you manage to the stick to all the health and fitness 'resolutions' that you set yourself at the start of the year?

If you haven't, there could be a number of reasons why.

One of them could be that your have used the all or nothing approach.

What I mean by this is that you have gone from 0-100 and expected that you would be able to keep up at that pace and get your goals quicker.

See, the problem is that you have gone from doing little to no activity, to trying to workout everyday, whilst completely overhauling your diet, whilst giving up alcohol, whilst trying get a better nights sleep and the list goes on.

The right intentions are there.

You have identified the areas you need to change and you are trying everything you can to improve those areas.

The issue is that you are trying to make a number of changes in a number of different areas all at once.

After a few days or weeks, you cannot sustain that level of change and you end up getting overwhelmed and stopping. Hence the All or Nothing approach.

It is important to identify the areas you need to improve. But its MORE important to focus of one to two of these areas at a time.

After all, you got to the physical condition you are now over time (i.e it didnt happen overnight), so it therefore makes sense that it will take time to change you physical condition to meet your goals.

IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN THEN PLAN TO FAIL

The difference between a 'want' and a 'goal' is planning.

You can want to change your body (i.e lose weight, build muscle), but until you put a plan in place of how you are going to get there, then it will always be a want.

Now, everyone is differnent and have different ways of working, so its key that you take some time to really identify what changes you can not only make, but make consistently.

For example, if you see someone promoting a diet, which got them results but doesn't fit your way of eating or food preferences, chances are that you won't stick to it long term and therefore its unsustainable. It could be the best diet on paper but it application it doesn't work.

We have to start looking at health and fitness from a long term perspective. If you can't consistently apply the changes to your life long term, then you'll forever be starting again and feeling frustrated. This will give you a negative experience with your journey and you'll be less reluctant to follow it.

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE

The key to long term change is small consistent changes over time.

There's no magic pill, no perfect diet, no quick fix.

The truth is much less glamorous.

Long term change comes from slow and steady changes over time. It comes from building daily habits, because you don't decide your future, your habits decide your future.

Instead of trying to overhaul you entire life and go from 0-100, try going from 0-10, then 10-20 and so on.

For example, if your current daily step count is 2000 per day, don't set a goal of hitting 10,000 per day. Its so far away from your current habits that its not sustainable. Instead, aim to hit 3000 steps per day. Once you have reached 3000 steps consisently, then aim for 4000 steps. Build them slowly over time and you have a much better chance of being able to progress.

Come to terms with the fact that patience is going to be a big factor in your journey.

Personally, I would much rather my journey take more time and keep the changes that I earn, rather than wasting time on a quick fix and constently having to start over every few months.

Your time is finite, choose how to spend it wisely.

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