Patterns

Have you ever found yourself in any of the following patterns?

• Wanting to be perfect with nutrition
• Never missing a workout
• Staying away from social events
• Never having a slice of the cake

Contrary to what you may have heard, none of the above reflects actual discipline. Instead, these behaviors set you up for yet another restart and also compromises your quality of life. I know because I used to be like that – you know, someone who has their sh*t together…..

People would repeatedly compliment how disciplined I was and how impressed they were with me holding back from doing something or not eating a particular food. They would even tell me they wished they could do what I was doing. On the inside, however, I was screaming. I really wanted to have that slice of cake. I really wanted to attend social events and not worry about every little single thing I was eating. 

Everything I was doing was based out of pure fear – fear of gaining even a couple of pounds, fear of losing some progress, fear of not making progress, and fear of failing.  Frustratingly, I allowed fear to consume me over and over again. I let it dictate how I lived my life and only realized a couple of years ago that is no way to live life whatsoever. 

Having that drink or a piece of cake or going out to social events is not what will make you regress. What will, however, undoubtedly hinder your progress is setting yourself up with unrealistic expectations and attempting to live an overly restricted life. So, I’m going to ask you to do a couple things: 

1. Relax
2. Take a big breath
3. Live your life the way you should be living it

As I competed and later moved to coaching, I noticed so many individuals get off track and fall under the impression they could never recover. If you, too, have fallen under this misconception, it is important to move away from that belief and continue moving forward. Consistency is going to get you the results you desire. 

It’s perfectly okay to give your body a rest every once in a while. Rest is an integral part of recovery and setting yourself up for success when it comes to losing weight and building muscle. Some people think they need to go hard 24/7 and only sleep 5 hours a day. In reality, your body will gradually stop repairing itself the way it should. Imagine what your car would do if you ran it constantly all day long and didn’t give it a rest. YES, your check engine light would come on saying something is not right. Be sure to sleep seven to eight hours per night to ensure you are rested for a successful day both in and out of the gym. 

Last thing – just have the cake! It’s not going to make or break your progress. Continuously holding back will eventually lead to binge eating and eating disorders that are best left alone. 

Slow down, and enjoy life! We all only get one of them, and no one knows when their time will end.  If you have found yourself being overly restrictive with your diet or in any other area of your life, get in touch with me. I’d be happy to show you how much fun life can be even when you’re working toward your dream body!  

Jeff Davis