Progress not Perfection

It’s easy to think “Why bother working out if I’m never going to be a size 10?” Or “I don’t have time to go the gym often so what’s the point?” But the truth is, that every little bit counts and you need to change the way you think about exercise. You guys don’t need me to tell you that exercise is good for your heart and your bones etc. Or that it’s also great for lifting your mood and making you feel good. So I won’t go on about that....

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What I will go on about is how aiming for progress, not perfection, will help you stay motivated. And that seeing every form of movement, not just hitting the gym, as being good for your body will help you feel good about what you DO achieve. 

Once upon a time, when I was young and too head strong for my own good, I worked out 6 days a week for at least an hour a day. To me, that was what I had to do to stay in shape. If I failed one week to complete all my work outs I became quite depressed. It didn’t matter how I looked or how I felt (and to be honest. most of the time I was tired and felt crap!) as long as I met me self-imposed goals.

Luckily I’m now so much wiser and life experience has dished me many cold serves of wake-the-fuck-up! So how do I maintain my strong, healthy 37 year old bod these days? I focus on what makes me feel good and I focus on progress. And I mean long term progress. For example: Over the years I’ve upped my typical kettlebell weight from 6kgs to 12kgs. I can push the stroller while dragging our dog along for a walk for over an hour and still have energy for more. I can do 25 full press ups without too much effort. And I can tell I sleep better when I’ve done a work out. I pay attention to little things like that; it’s all progress.

I’ve also learnt that doing a little bit every day is far more manageable and energizing than trying to do big work outs. I’m a mumma; I fit in what I can and I call it a win! And if I don’t manage any exercise for a few days, or even a week, I no longer beat myself up about it. I’m not perfect and I’m not trying to be!

It’s consistency and the long term that is important. So stop being so hard on yourself and start planning small, manageable chunks of exercise on a regular basis and notice how you puff less, feel stronger and sleep better.  And then call that a WIN!!!