Not Perfect

I read a really interesting blog item/article yesterday over at http://crankyfitness.blogspot.com/  titled: Biggest Diet And Exercise Mistake You Can Make.  I won't copy the whole article, but suggest you read it. It really makes sense & is something that many of us forget (especially me)!  The basic idea is that if you're aiming for perfection with your diet & exercising, then you're setting yourself up for failure. We're only human & we're bound to make mistakes. Yet, for so many of us, the idea of being less than perfect is so horrible, that we get frustrated & quit. Instead, our goals should be about mastering the self-improvement process & staying on track. There's a lot more said & stated much better! So, please go read it.

I scrapped my goals list for the week yesterday, before reading this article. Guess that's why it makes perfect sense to me. Looking at that sheet with its negative markings or even skipped places was taunting me with my 'failure'. I couldn't even be glad that I had done some things right, not when it wasn't perfect. Putting the sheet away for the week relieved me. That's silly, huh? It's just a piece of paper. Honestly though,  once I gave myself permission to set it aside until next week & just concentrate on the things I can do right now, it was a huge relief. I didn't even want to go to the gym nor do ab work.  Walking, however, was doable. It gave me some quiet time to just move & breathe.

My goal sheet will be back. I find it keeps me accountable and motivated most of the time. Just those times when I'm so far behind, unable, and/or sick, that I need to learn to be flexible. I'm not perfect; I just want to be better than I was. That's what we all need to remember.

Have a great weekend & best wishes everybody!

Wow

What a great article!  Thanks for sharing!  Glad you have a better mindset about your last week.  Stay strong!

Tried to tell you!!

Did you read my comment on your Thursday post???  I was trying to tell you the same thing.  However, maybe I did butter coat it too much.  Blessings for your strength and happiness.  Chargail

excellent

you know .. i completely understand.  i cant even remember how many times i tried to diet but gave up because i didn't "do" the program right, etc.  this is a great thing to read .. thanks for sharing it.

thanks also for visiting my blog .. nice to meet you!

Perfectionism-

I try and try but somehow get sidetracked, we all do!  Thanks for the link!   Great article!

no

I didn't even know I did it until I got up. I felt nothing. yuck.

I am going to give it a try, I call the 1800 number and they told me things like that could just happen for the first few days.

Right on!

I've always been an "All or nothing" type of person. Either I get it ALL right, or I give up! Learning to change that has been difficult. Thanks for posting the link to this article! And good luck on next week's goals! :)

Great revelation!

I think a lot of us struggle with perfectionism and the "screw it! I screwed up so I might as well quit" attitude that goes with the inevitable failure of trying to attain perfection. This is a journey, but it isw one day at a time. What happened yesterday is a learning tool not a fialure. Move forward and live a life that you love, free from self-ridicule and judgement!

Take care!

Thanks for the link!

Thanks for posting the link to cranky fitness.... lots of good reading!

Thanks for the encouragement

I've never done this blogging thing before. you were the first person to read my blog and write a response. Thank you so much for the encouragement. It means a lot to think there is someone out there sruggling too and wishing me well. The comments about not striving for perfection are so important. I broke down and had a burrito yesterday, but that is as far as it went. I didn't use that as an excuse that this whole diet thing is too hard and I might as well help myself to a carton of ice cream to console myself for losing the battle.