Week in Review 3-30-18
March 30, 2018Week in Review 4-6-18
April 6, 2018
I heard this quote from a coaching buddy of mine, as he reminded our athletes that they’re not perfect. Many athletes fear failure. Sometimes, they think they must be perfect, which sets them up for an incredible let down when they discover they’re not. Other times, they’re afraid to try their hardest for fear that it may not be good enough. I remind them that I screw something up on an almost daily basis. A fact they’re more than happy to acknowledge.
Even the legendary Babe Ruth didn’t bat 1.000
None of us are perfect. People sometimes look at those of us in the fitness industry and assume our days must be filled with endless rounds of squats and deadlifts, and our nights with kale-chia-quinoa smoothies. It’s true that many coaches in the industry work out regularly and eat healthy – it’s part of the job. But some (ahem, fitness celebrities) go out of their way to create idealized, airbrushed versions of themselves and their daily lives, but they aren’t the norm. In fact, social media has made it pretty easy to fake body pics. That doesn’t mean you should settle for average. No one should. If you are working toward bettering your health each day, you are, by definition, above average.
What does success look like?
The best baseball players bat in the .300’s. Two thirds of the time they fail. But they evaluate what went wrong and return to the plate expecting to get a hit. We should approach our health and fitness efforts the same way. Sometimes you’ll be trucking along, following your plan and then you’ll hit a speedbump. Maybe it’s because you went out of town for a weekend or maybe it’s because your friends talked you in to a much longer night than you anticipated. Regardless, these “setbacks” are normal. We sometimes ignore what should be done in favor of what feels good in the moment. We’re human, it happens. By failing we actually create an opportunity to improve if we take a moment and reflect. Here’s how:
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Understand the why – Why did I skip the gym? Why did I indulge?
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Understand how it made you feel both in the moment and after.
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How did acting against your healthy habit benefit you?
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What is good about continuing your healthy habit?
The experience of following a healthy habit and making a mistake that works against that habit is invaluable. With a little self-reflection we gain some clarity about why we did what we did, why it’s not the preferred path, and what we can do next time to avoid it. This process never ends, because it’s how we get better. It’s why we head to the gym for a workout when we don’t feel like it. It’s why we have a glass of wine and enjoy it, rather than the entire bottle.
Point being - we try, we fail, we improve. As long as you keep seeking improvement and strive to get 1% better each day, you’re going to be just fine. We truly “fail” when we stop trying to improve or we give in to our impulses without doing a little self-reflection about what we can do differently next time.
Want to get 1% better each day?
At Vitalifit we believe that incremental change is the path to a sustainable healthy lifestyle. The key is to get on the path! If you’re looking for additional help and guidance contact us today to join the Vitalifit Coaching Program that is right for you.
